Love you till my lungs give out
by dream2bawrtr
Summary: When Ana was 12 years old, she witnessed something horrible. But something was done to her that made her forget. 15 years later, a stranger named Christian saved her life. With this man, Ana instantly felt a strong connection, an undeniable bond, and that's when her suppressed memories of that fateful day from years ago started to surface. NEW CHAPTER POSTED! Chapter 20.
1. The most beautiful gray eyes

**I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 _ **Love you till my lungs give out**_

 **First chapter**

 **The most beautiful gray eyes**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

 **Hi, you all! This story is set in an alternate universe, where Ana is a photographer and daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Seattle. Christian is a** **homicide** **detective in this one. This tale is about two lovers who were once ripped apart by evil forces, but were given a second chance in another lifetime...**

 **I really hope you enjoy reading this. Cause I sure enjoyed writing it! :)**

 **And don't forget to tell me what you think about chapter 1.**

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Ana woke up startled, while gasping softly, her eyes instantly scanning her surroundings. As it dawned on her that she was _safely_ in her own bedroom, her body relaxed a bit. She then took deep breaths and let them out slowly.

Wondering what time it was, she threw a quick glance at the clock.

"It was 1:20 AM." She whispered.

Ana listened to the sounds in her apartment, but the only thing she heard was the ticking of the clock, and nothing else. It was quite dark in her bedroom, because Ana liked sleeping in the dark.

However, these last few nights, she all of a sudden felt afraid to do so.

Why? She really had no answer to that question…

And even though she was scared, Ana still turned the lights off before going to bed. These last few months, she felt very uncomfortable in her own skin, in her bed and even in her penthouse apartment.

Ana didn't know why, but she felt awfully restless. Waking up in the middle of the night, afraid of something that wasn't even there. Whenever she felt this way, Ana really didn't know what to do with herself.

She really didn't have a single clue…

Every night she woke up startled, and of course after that, Ana wasn't able to fall asleep again.

What did she do to pass the time, when wide awake in the middle of the night? As if she was programmed, Ana did what she had done these last few weeks.

She got out of bed, put her black boots on, wrapped a thick and warm coat around herself and walked out of her penthouse.

Ana walked out her bedroom door and into the huge living room, stepped into the elevator, got off at the first floor and walked out the expensive apartment building.

As she wandered through the streets of her own City, Ana aimlessly walked with no destination in mind. She just walked till she got very tired, and then went back home. If people would see her like that, they'd probably think she was a crazy or troubled young woman.

And to be honest, they would be right, because Ana was _indeed_ troubled…

It was extremely frustrating to her not knowing why she felt so restless. Ana had **_everything_ ** a 27 year-old young woman would want. She had a job she loved with a passion, she lived in a penthouse apartment, and she had friends and parents who loved her, a boyfriend who adored her.

From the perspective of others her life _seemed_ complete and so perfect.

That meant that Ana should be happy… right?!

And yet she felt the opposite of that... Ana couldn't help but feel that way.

There was just an emptiness, a **_void_ ** deep within her heart that she for the life of her, could _not_ explain. Of course Ana hid these gnawing feelings from the world, because if people knew how she truly felt, they would judge her and say that she was one _ungrateful_ , _spoiled_ little rich girl.

That's why Ana has been keeping it all to herself.

However, this emptiness and restlessness was consuming her completely from the inside out, eating at her soul, draining all of Ana's energy…

Her boyfriend Luke was a good guy. She has been in a relationship with the man for almost two years now. However, Ana felt in her heart that she wasn't in love with him anymore.

Maybe she never had been. Maybe, Ana had been in love with the _idea_ of him… of the **_idea_ ** of them as the perfect couple.

Luke and Ana, the power couple most people looked up to and admired…

Luke comes from a wealthy family, the Sawyers. He has been brought up by Old money and has known and experienced special privileges all his life. One day he _will_ inherit all the money and wealth of his established upper-class family.

Plus, he was very handsome and loved Ana very much. (Or so he says)

From the first day that she had introduced her friends to Luke, they had been telling Ana that she was _very_ lucky to have him.

However, Ana couldn't help how she felt about Luke now. She _only_ felt friendship for the man. Nothing more, and nothing less.

What makes matters worse is the fact that he keeps telling Ana that he will marry her someday.

However, that is not something that she wants. For the past four months, Ana had been tossing and turning in bed, thinking of a way to break up with Luke.

But in every scenario she thought of, Luke gets hurt, making Ana feel _extremely_ guilty. That's why she had been postponing to break up with him.

She would wake up in the morning, and tell herself this." I will do it, I will break up with him today during lunch… or dinner."

But the moment Luke hugged Ana tightly and told her that he loved her, those heart wrenching words refuse to leave her lips…

And so here Ana was again, after midnight, still wandering the streets of her City without a destination in mind. Just walking like some nut.

But then it happened! It happened _so_ fast that she froze at the spot, unable to move…

Ana was going to cross the street, because the light had jumped to green. She was in deep thought and didn't see a _huge_ truck driving through a red light! It was coming right at her, but Ana was too shocked to move. At that very moment, she saw flashes and images before her very eyes…

 ** _In those moments Ana had a vision, so confusing:_**

 _She stood in front of a huge, old building… it wasn't just a normal building. It seemed more like a **castle**?! It looked like it was built a long time ago. Ana opened the wide front door that was made of heavy wood. While standing on the threshold of the door, she saw her reflection in a mirror. Ana was wearing a long, blue gown and her hair was up, held by a golden hairpin. Without hesitation, she walked inside the castle and gasped at how beautiful the living room was. There was a fire place, and nice furniture, the interior very old fashioned. The walls were painted white, while the curtains were red and hung all the way down to the floor. It was a gorgeous living room with red, white and black colors. There were a lot of windows, making the sunlight lit up the room, giving it a special effect._

 _Ana stood still for a couple of moments, enjoying the view, and then walked further to see the rest. There were no rooms on the first floor, so she assumed that they were on the second floor. But instead of walking up the stairs, she walked through a hall that ended up in the kitchen. It was also huge and old fashioned. The dining room had a wooden table with 20 chairs, while the walls were painted red._

 _She walked further and opened the back door. The sun was shining; the warmth of said sun on her skin making Ana feel wonderful. As her eyes scanned her surroundings, they landed on the garden. She gasped softly, her hand over her mouth, truly amazed by how beautiful the garden was. There were a lot of trees and the garden had a lot of flowers. All kinds of colors, shapes and sizes. She felt like she was in a fairy tale, almost feeling like a little girl again. Birds were singing and the wind was making the leaves of the trees move from left to right. Ana was smiling widely, closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh air. It was nothing like the air in Seattle though… it was so much better and fresher._

 _But then she was startled by a noise behind her, so Ana turned around. As her eyes landed on this stranger, her breath caught in her throat. She was looking into the most **beautiful** gray eyes she had ever seen in her life… He looked so familiar, but she didn't think she had ever met him before. The handsome stranger walked towards Ana, a smile gracing his face, making her heart thump wildly against her chest. When he finally stood in front of her, Ana heard him say._

 _"Hey, we've been waiting for you, sweetie… are you OK?"_

 _She was too shocked to answer and nodded. He smiled and whispered." You mean the world to me…"_

 _Then he cupped her face lightly and looked deep into her eyes. His fingers were so warm on her skin, making Ana sigh happily. But after a few heavenly moments, he gently pulled away from her._

 _A beautiful little boy ran into his arms and said. "Daddy, daddy. I found a frog in the pond!"_

 _The small boy then turned his face to look at Ana and greeted her with a heart melting smile on his handsome face._

 _"Do you wanna touch the frog, mama?" the gorgeous little boy asked._

 ** _** End of vision**_**

But suddenly Ana wasn't there anymore... She was lying on the cold, hard foot pavement. In those moments when she was seeing those wonderful images, Ana felt two large, rough hands grab her by the shoulders and pulled her **not** so gently to the sidewalk! Instead of thanking this person for saving her life, she wanted to curse at him or her for disturbing her precious moment. Ana huffed loudly, got swiftly on her feet, planning to scold who ever saved her life.

But when she looked up at him, her eyes locking onto his, Ana's mouth almost dropped to the ground, gasping softly.

She, Anastasia Steele, was gazing into the most _**beautiful** _ gray eyes she had _ever_ seen in her life...

"Miss, are you alright? I'm so sorry… did I hurt you?" she heard the stranger say, while Ana kept staring up at him.

'What the hell is going on here?!' was what bounced inside her skull, while Ana questioned her own sanity.

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 _ **Note: Thank you for reading! So... hit me with your thoughts, you guys. ;)**_

 _ **Leave me a review, short or long.**_

 _ **J**_


	2. May we meet again

**Note:** **Yes, dear readers! You are right... Ana was married to Christian in their previous lives, but evil had forced them apart. :(**

 **They were married in another lifetime... (Centuries ago)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **May we meet again**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

'What the hell is going on here?!' was what bounced inside her skull, while Ana questioned her own sanity.

 **{{Approximately 2 hours _EARLIER_ }}**

At the moment, Christian Grey was inside the bathroom of the Police station where he worked. He was a homicide detective, and pretty good at it too. You could say that Christian was the best from his Precinct. There wasn't a murder case that he couldn't solve. Christian was _that_ good!

His success rate in solving the cases was very impressive...

He knew that and so did everyone else. As he splashed his face with water, he felt exhaustion taking over his whole body. His day had been so rough, the case he and his colleagues were working on extremely difficult. Today he worked from 9 AM till now, because Christian wanted to forget. He wanted to forget that today was the anniversary of Gia's disappearance. As he clenched his hands into fists, he felt a sudden sharp pain in his heart, the feeling in the pit of his stomach almost unbearable.

He felt this way, the moment he was reminded of her…

"Gia." He whispered, as his eyes fluttered shut.

She was his high school sweetheart. It's been 15 years since he had seen her last. Christian and Gia were seventeen and a couple in love. They planned on graduating high school together and also planned on going to college after that.

However, fate decided to be cruel to Christian. The day before graduation, Gia disappeared.

Her father, Mr. Tom Matteo, their friends and Christian searched high and low for her. Christian moved heaven and earth trying to find Gia, and dedicated years of his life because he truly believed he was going to succeed in finding her.

However, Gia _never_ turned up. Christian never found her. Everybody eventually gave up: The police, their friends, and even her father did.

But Christian… he never stopped looking… and kept searching.

He just needed the closure, but he had a feeling that he'll never get that. Maybe she's dead, maybe alive… That's what hurts him the most: not knowing, not being able to move on with his life. There were times when Christian got very desperate, wishing that her kidnapper would just send him a message, saying that she's no longer alive.

Maybe then he would be able to let go… of her. Gia…

Christian knew that he was wasting away his life, searching desperately for closure, but he couldn't help himself… he _had_ to know!

After Gia, he never fell in love again. Sure, he had girlfriends… flings. But Christian never felt love for another woman again.

As he walked out of the Precinct, he laughed at his messed up life. Cause when he was 17, Christian never in a million years would have thought that he'd end up like this, misery and heart ache his only lover…

"Gia… Will I ever let you go?" was what tumbled from his lips, as he pushed back the tears.

[[[]]]

As Christian slid behind the wheel of his car, switched on the ignition, and drove away from the Precinct, he thought back on the phone conversation he had with Tom Matteo this morning. Gia's father had called him and invited him over to his house. He and his wife had organized a 'meeting'. They did that every year, because the anniversary of Gia's disappearance was always difficult for all of them. So, during these 'meetings', they talked about Gia and comforted each other.

However, Christian had declined the invitation this year. Why? He just wanted to forget… he desperately needed to forget Gia.

Tom Matteo fired all kinds of questions at him, but Christian managed to end the phone conversation without being too rude…

And right now, here he was at 1 AM at night, sitting in a bar, attempting to drink his sorrows away. Christian had decided the week before to stop drinking at this or any bar after work, but he couldn't resist the pull.

Gosh! He was _absolutely_ pathetic, sitting on a stool, feeling sorry for himself. Around 2 AM though, he decided he had enough and craved for his warm bed. (off course after having a few drinks… maybe too much)

After paying the bill, Christian got out of the bar, walked to his car and was fumbling with his keys.

"Crap!" he muttered, as the car keys slipped from his fingers and fell.

He couldn't see straight anymore. And again, he freaking laughed at himself. It was then, when he knew that he had _way_ too much to drink and so he decided to call a cab instead.

But just as he was about to dial the number of the cab company, something or to be precise, _somebody_ caught his eye. Christian saw a young woman wandering the streets. It was late and dark, but by the light of the full moon, he could see her face clearly. She looked _so_ troubled. She had long, shiny dark brown hair and lips red as the rose. Christian couldn't see the color of her eyes though.

The young woman was about to cross the street and was _so_ deep in thought that she didn't see the huge truck that was driving right at her!

Without hesitation, Christian ran as fast as his legs could and grabbed the woman roughly by her shoulders and pulled her **_not_ ** so gently onto the sidewalk.

As it dawned on him that he unintentionally had been rough with her, Christian looked at her, ready to apologize. He wished he wasn't that rough, but in that moment all Christian thought about was to save the young woman's life.

She got up and looked furious! Christian held in his breath, prepared to receive a scolding from her. He was pretty sure she was planning on giving him a piece of her mind.

However, when their eyes locked onto each other, she looked kind of shocked at Christian.

They just gazed into each other's eyes, not a word leaving their lips…

Christian observed her, and was just in awe by the gorgeous beauty. In his opinion, he'd never seen someone as beautiful as this young woman. Her eyes sparkled like stars, and her brown locks shone wonderfully, framing her face.

He, Christian Grey, never was lost for words. But for a couple of minutes he was tongue tied, while staring down at the beauty.

As a sigh escaped his lips, he miraculously was able to form a coherent sentence. So, he gave her an apologetic look, and said.

"Miss, are you alright? I'm so sorry… did I hurt you?"

Ana heard the stranger, and yet she wasn't able to reply right away…

She was _so_ lost gazing into his gray eyes, wondering how it was possible to have a vision of this man and right after meeting him in person.

As he watched Ana, Christian smiled and repeated the question.

"So sorry, Miss… did I hurt you?"

Ana bet a thousand bucks that her cheeks turned crimson red, because the stranger had a twinkle in his eyes. He must find it funny that he had an effect on her…

At that, Ana cleared her throat and broke eye contact for a second." Uhmm… Yes, I'm fine. I scraped my knees a bit, but other than that, I'm perfectly unharmed." She pointed out." By the way, thank you very much for saving my life, sir. I'm forever in your debt."

The handsome stranger smiled at her, so she reciprocated with a smile.

"No need to thank me, Miss. It's my pleasure." Christian replied.

"My name is Ana. You don't have to address me with Miss." She responded.

"Okay, nice to meet you Ana. Even under these circumstances." Christian uttered, as he kept his eyes locked onto hers.

Well, that made her a bit uncomfortable, so she laughed loudly out of nervousness.

"So, we have established that my name is Ana. And yours is?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, excuse me. My name is Christian Grey." He replied and shook Ana's hand lightly.

As their hands connected, Ana felt a sudden calmness take over her whole being. Even though his touch was warm, it made a shiver go through her body— a good kind of shiver… the very best kind.

Slowly, the restlessness and emptiness that Ana had felt for months, ebbed away. As a sigh escaped her lips, Christian looked at her questioningly.

"Nothing, I just had a very eventful day is all." She commented, while attempting to avoid his gaze.

"Well, Ana. I think it would be a very good idea if we looked at your knee. Does it burn a lot?" He asked, truly concerned about her.

"It isn't that bad, Mr. Grey. I will take care of it when I get home."

"Please, call me Christian."

"OK… Christian. It barely hurts, don't worry about it." Ana said trying to convince him.

He nodded at that." I want to apologize for pulling you roughly to the sidewalk. I didn't mean to be so harsh." Christian said with a serious look on his face.

In Ana's opinion, he seemed really sorry.

"No need to apologize, Christian. If you hadn't, maybe I wouldn't be alive right now, talking to you. So once again, thank you for saving my life."

After hearing that, Ana noticed how the corners of his lips curled upwards, and then he gave her a heart-stopping smile.

He cleared his throat and caught her gaze. "It is late, I know. But my favorite coffee shop is still open. Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me? It's Saturday night BTW. The night is still young?" Christian asked, while looking at her with hopeful eyes.

'Damn, those mesmerizing, gray eyes… so beautiful!' Ana thought.

She wanted to say yes, but she had to think about Luke. He was crazy about Ana, and also extremely jealous and possessive.

Ana swallowed, and smiled up at him. "Maybe some other time, Christian? I'm very tired, so I really have to head back home now." She said reluctantly.

As those words reached his ears, he nodded." You're right, Ana. It is indeed very late. Some other time then." Christian suggested, and looked at her with hopeful eyes.

He then grabbed his phone and called a cab for Ana. After approximately 10 minutes, she slid inside the cab, and then Christian closed the car door for her. Christian and Ana looked each other in the eyes for the last time and then he said good night.

But not before slipping something in Ana's hand…

As the cab drove away, she opened her hand to see what was inside.

It was a card with his phone number. On it was written: _Call me, Christian Grey._

Without her accord, the corners of Ana's mouth curled upwards, while she instinctively put said card in the pocket of her coat. As seconds passed, her smile turned into a full on grin.

'Okay, I have to stop smiling like an idiot.' Ana told herself.

However, she couldn't help it… she felt so at ease and so wonderful…

Christian Grey…

[[[]]]

By the time Ana arrived at her apartment building, her restlessness had miraculously disappeared completely. She furrowed her brows, wondering what that was about. How is that even possible? And what caused me to lose that gnawing feeling?

Well, Ana didn't have time to dwell on it though, because when she stepped into her penthouse apartment, she saw her boyfriend standing impatiently in the living room.

Luke had a very disapproving look on his face." Ana, where the _hell_ have you been?"

She let out a deep breath, and walked towards him. "Uhmm… Luke, hey. Well, I couldn't sleep, so I went out the apartment to get some fresh air." Ana explained, as she took off of her coat.

He observed Ana, utter distrust in his eyes." At 2:30 in the morning!" he said, his voice raised, while his hands clenched into fists.

"Luke, I don't wanna fight. Please, leave? Let's talk tomorrow. OK?" Ana said with pleading eyes." I'm exhausted and tomorrow morning I have to go in early to finish up work."

"On a Sunday?!" Luke asked, almost shouting at her.

Ana took in a deep breath and swallowed." Please, Luke. I really don't have any energy to fight right now. Let's have a talk tomorrow afternoon, around 2 PM. Let's have lunch, just you and me."

He huffed at her, but luckily he nodded." Fine!" Luke replied and walked in the direction of the elevator without even looking back once at Ana, his hands still clenched into fists.

As the elevator door closed, Ana let out the breath that she had been holding…

That talk tomorrow won't be pretty. _That_ , Ana was sure of.

Crap!

xxx [[[]]] xxx

Ana walked into her luxurious bathroom, and took off of her clothes, trying not think about the conversation with Luke the next day. She knew he was going to grill her about her whereabouts.

Shit!

As the warm water cascaded onto her sore muscles, Ana listened to the messages on her answering machine. Luke had left her 9 messages, asking where she was and saying that he was worried sick about her.

Ana sighed at that and contemplated what she was going to say to him during lunch.

'The truth.' She decided after a few minutes.

After her shower, Ana put a Band-Aid on her scraped knees and went to bed. Automatically, Ana's mind drifted off to how her night went.

It started out terribly and ended badly( Luke being angry with her)

However, she couldn't stop thinking about Christian Grey…

There was just **_something_ ** about the man. Something _so_ familiar, but Ana couldn't quite put her finger on it.

As her eyes fluttered shut, almost drifting off of to sleep, Ana realized once more that the restlessness and emptiness she felt a couple of hours ago had disappeared completely...

How is that even possible?!

Was it because of him? The handsome stranger? Was it because of Christian?

She could only wonder.

Ana's hand landed over her heart without realizing it, and smiled.

It was then, when she remembered the card he had given her. She jumped out of bed and grabbed her coat. As she returned to her room, Ana sat on the bed and leaned onto the headboard. She pulled the card out of the pocket, a smile still gracing her pretty face.

The moment her eyes landed on the card, while reading what Christian had written on it, Ana saw flashes and images before her very eyes.

 ** _xx Ana's second vision xx_**

 _She was being awoken by her husband in the middle of the night._

 _As her eyes fluttered open, she sat up and asked." Christian, my love. What is going on?!"_

 _He looked at her with sad eyes, his whole body tense and trembling._

 _"They have found a way to get in... they've already reached the City, my love. We have to go now!" He explained, while grabbing some clothes and putting it on Ana's body._

 _She shook her head and said. "Who? Who are you referring to, my love?"_

 _"Those barbarians… conquerors, our enemies from the south." He replied, while walking towards the door." I'm gonna grab Theodore. Grab only your most precious things, OK?"_

 _Ana jumped out of bed, her heart hammering against her rib cage._

 _She was terrified…_

 _Ana knew a lot about those barbarians. They've wanted Ana's land for decades now. Always trying to invade the land, but Christian's men always managed to win during their battles._

 _She assumed that those barbarians won during their last fight. As a loud sob escaped her lips, Ana grabbed clothes for her son. She couldn't help thinking what was happening right now at the village._

 _Those barbarians defeated her husband's soldiers… oh God!_

 _That meant that those barbarians were murdering all the villagers (her people), burning down everything and destroying all that Ana and her husband had built for years._

 _All those lives… lost. Oh, God!_

 _It was then, when her eyes darted towards the open window. From where she was standing high up in the castle, Ana saw how the whole village was up in flames._

 _It's gone… everything's gone…_

 _At a certain point Ana sank to the floor, unable to move or do anything, her eyes plastered on a spot on the wall._

 _It was over…_

 _With a sleeping Theodore in his arms, Christian strode inside their bedroom and noticed his wife sitting on the floor._

 _"Ana!" he said, and knelled in front of her._

 _Tears ran down her cheeks, while not reacting to her husband's words._

 _"Please, Ana! Do not give up on me!" Christian said, and shook her roughly on her upper arms._

 _At that, she all of a sudden got out of the short 'trance', and looked up at her husband._

 _"What are we gonna do, my love?" she asked, while shedding her tears." Everything's gone… everybody is dead! My friends, our people..."_

 _As those words tumbled from her lips, she looked at Christian helplessly._

 _"You have to be strong, Ana! For our baby boy… is that clear?!" He told her, as tears pooled in his gray eyes._

 _Ana nodded, while frantically wiping away her tears. "OK." She replied, and nodded._

 _"You and Theodore will go with my first in command, OK? He's gonna take you some place safe." Her husband explained._

 _Ana nodded and grabbed their most precious things, such as clothes and food._

 _"Where are we going, my love?" she asked, as the two of them hastily walked down the stairs, Theodore in Ana's arms._

 _"Sawyer will bring you to safety, at my uncle's. You three will travel by sea." Her husband announced._

 _Ana looked up at him, as they reached the horses." Christian, my love. What do you mean, the **three** of us?" she asked, her voice trembling heavily." Don't you mean, the four of us?!"_

 _"The horses are ready, sire." They heard Christian's first in command say._

 _It was Sawyer._

 _"Sawyer, please grab Theodore from me." Ana ordered, so he gently took the sleeping little one in his arms._

 _"He's safe with me, your highness." Sawyer replied._

 _Ana then stood in front of her husband and looked him in the eyes." What is going on?! Aren't you going to come along with us?" she asked, tears pooling in her beautiful eyes._

 _Her husband clenched his jaw, and avoided her gaze." No, you will go with Sawyer and he'll bring you to..." he said, and then closed his eyes for a few moments attempting to keep his emotions in check and then continued." He'll bring you to my uncle, the Duke. You'll be safe there... I have to stay behind and defend the castle, **my** **love**. I cannot leave my men... my soldiers behind. I'm their leader..." He confessed, while tears pooled in his gray eyes._

 _As those gut-wrenching words reached her ears, Ana lost it and began to shout hysterically."No!" she sobbed, and began hitting Christian on his chest. "You will not! You will come with us! With me and our little boy!"_

 _Ana's loud sobs woke little Theodore up, and he also began to cry for his daddy._

 _Her husband shook his head, and crashed his lips onto hers… for the last time..._

 _As he broke the kiss, and looked down at her, Ana sobbed for her husband." Christian! You don't have to do this!"_

 _It was then, when one of her husband's men walked up to them. The huge man looked at Ana's husband and said." The boat is ready on the other side, sire. The captain cannot wait any longer. We must leave **right** **now**."_

 _Christian nodded, and gave the soldier 'a look'._

 _The soldier growled and swiftly grabbed Ana effortlessly and placed her on a horse." No! Christian! Noooo!" she wept." Please don't do this!"_

 _Ana shouted, hit and fought the soldier, but he was freakishly strong and grabbed her tightly._

 _"Take good care of them for me." Ana's husband ordered, while looking at his first in command._

 _"Yes, sire. I will guard them with my life. "Sawyer promised._

 _"Good… now GO!" Ana's husband ordered, so Sawyer kicked the horse lightly and it galloped away from them._

 _The other soldier kicked his horse also, while Ana shouted and sobbed for her husband." Christian, my love… nooo! Please don't do this… I cannot live without you." She wept, and desperately stretched her arm out to him, attempting to grab his hand." Christian, Nooo…"_

 _Her husband watched with tears in his eyes, and said." Be safe, my love... may we meet again."_

 ** _xx End of Ana's vision xx_**

Ana's mind brought her back to reality, while she softly gasped for air, feeling her heart contracting, as it imploded in her chest from the gnawing pain that she felt. As her trembling hand landed on her cheek, Ana noticed that tears had spilled from her eyes. Her chest heaved, as soft sobs escaped her lips, sweat rolling down her temples...

"Christian, my love…" were the words that tumbled from her pale lips, as she attempted to piece together what she just had experienced.

OMG…

"No..." She whispered, when realization hit." That was _not_ just a vision or a hallucination... it was _**real**_... that really happened to me."

* * *

 **Note: Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. ;)**

 _ **Leave me a review, short or long? ;)**_

 **YES. Ana was married to Christian in their previous lives, but evil had forced them apart. :(**

Thank you all for the support, the follows and favorites. ;)

It means a lot to me. :)

Till the next one,

J


	3. No! Take me instead!

**I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **No! Take me instead!**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

After the cab drove away, Christian stood on the sidewalk for a couple of minutes. He stood there, surprised about his own actions. To him, everything went by so fast and he couldn't _believe_ he actually had given a stranger his phone number…

Christian shook his head, still wondering what came over him to do such a reckless thing. And then he decided to call another cabdriver to bring him home.

His apartment wasn't small, nor was it huge. It was just the right size that he needed. After the cab driver had dropped him off, Christian walked to his place and unlocked the door. He then took a shower and got dressed.

As he laid himself down on the bed, Christian couldn't help but to think about how his night went. In his opinion, it had been weird and really eventful.

First of all, he never talked to beautiful strangers, acting like he knew them well. Christian was always reserved. However, with Ana it felt so different. So _familiar_ …

He even had given the beautiful stranger his private phone number.

'What the hell was I even thinking?!' Christian wondered.

At that, he mentally kicked himself right now. Christian just hoped that Ana doesn't call, because in his opinion he was the last thing a sweet young woman like she needed.

'I'm much too _**damaged**_ … a lost soul.' Was what he thought of himself.

However, a little part of him truly wished that she does call him. There was just something about Ana that was drawing him to her…

He couldn't quite explain it.

Besides her being the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, Christian found that Ana possessed something that pulled him to her. (Probably without knowing it herself)

Also, Christian couldn't deny the fact that he instantly felt a strong connection with Ana, when their hands collided during the short handshake. He couldn't quite put his finger on it yet, but Christian just felt like he knew her? But how?!

Before tonight, he had never seen or met Ana…

While still pondering about the beautiful stranger, Christian got up from bed and walked to his study. As a sigh escaped his lips, he opened the drawer of his desk, and grabbed the framed picture of Gia.

He looked at it for a while, and felt the ache in his heart again. Christian still missed her… even after all these years.

He closed his eyes and couldn't believe that he never found her… Gia.

Christian placed the picture back in the drawer and jumped into bed again. As he sat in bed, his mind automatically went to _her_. The stranger…

He couldn't help himself really, even if he tried. He couldn't stop thinking about Ana. She had made such a big impression on him. In his opinion, Ana was a fascinating young woman… one that he desperately wanted, no… not wanted, but _**needed**_ to know better.

But should he though? Christian thought that his life was too messed-up... there really wasn't a place in it for someone like Ana. Such a wonderful creature shouldn't be friends with someone like him. (who was too damaged)

When he was in high school, he always dreamed of becoming an engineer who would change the world with his inventions. Christian got accepted to 2 very good colleges, but after what happened to Gia, he decided not to attend college. Instead, Christian searched for her and didn't want to give up on his girlfriend.

Because of that decision, Christian got into a huge argument with his parents. They wanted him to think about his future, and tried hard to make him change his mind. Christian's father wanted so badly for him to attend college and make something great of himself.

'Go to college, my son. So you can become someone important in society. You can change the world, if you just put your mind into it.' was what Christian's father had told him a bunch of times.

But he didn't understand that in Christian's mind, there was no future for him without his girlfriend Gia.

Christian's dad had died a few years back, and it wasn't until recently that he wished things went differently. He and his father never made up after they had the falling out, 15 years ago.

And that was something Christian regretted now more than anything in the world… he really wished he could take back the years that he didn't speak to his father or visited home, when he had the time.

As a tear rolled down his cheek, Christian grabbed his phone from the night stand and looked at the photos of his dad and mom. He smiled and considered himself lucky to have such wonderful parents.

Christian's mom lived with a friend on the other side of town. Even though he had a hectic life, his work schedule unpredictable and sometimes working more than 12 hours straight, Christian made the time to visit his mother a few times a week.

No, he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice… he wanted to spend quality time with his mom, now that he could. Christian's mother had accepted the fact that he had become a detective since the beginning. She supported her son with everything, since he was a little boy. Christian was always very grateful for that.

And yet, at times he could see in his mom's eyes that she wished that he had taken the opportunity to become an engineer or something.

But that was something he couldn't change. Christian was a detective and very good at it too. He regretted that he hadn't been on speaking terms with his father, when he was still alive. However, Christian didn't regret becoming a Police detective.

Why? Because now that he was a detective, he solved the most complex murder cases with the help of his colleagues.

Christian's mom told him once that his father didn't show it, but he had been proud of his son. Even though he never mentioned it to Christian, his dad made a scrap book of his career. He would ask Christian's mother to make photos of their son, when he became a detective. And also when Christian was promoted, he took the photos from his wife and put it inside the scrap book.

When his friends came over to the house to play cards with him, Christian's father proudly showed off said scrap book to them.

When his father died, his mom had given Christian the book. As he looked at it page by page, his heart broke a little, because Christian and his father used to get along very well until their huge falling out.

Christian visited his father's grave once or twice a month, and then he would have long conversations, imagining that his dad was hearing everything that he said.

A year after Gia's disappearance, Christian decided to become a police officer. After 6 years being a uniformed officer, he became a homicide detective.

The detectives who oversaw Gia's case were good at their jobs, but even they weren't able to solve her case.

Christian remembered one tip they received though. It gave the detectives hope in finding Gia. Some kid had called and told them that he or she had seen a man dragging a girl who had Gia's description into a black car. The kid promised to come to the police station the next day, but he or she never did. And after that, the case just went cold… it never was solved.

As a sigh escaped his lips, Christian wondered if he should even make an attempt to move on. It's been 15 long years… Will Gia ever be found? Is there still a chance for that? It's just been too long.

'If I was in her place, I would've wanted Gia to move on.' Christian thought.

However, it was so difficult for him. As a stubborn tear escaped his eye, Christian all of a sudden felt very guilty towards Gia. Was he really thinking about moving on from her? Gia.

But right now something else also made him feel guilty though…

Christian felt guilty about the fact that he just couldn't stop himself from thinking about that _beautiful_ stranger. The one he had given his phone number to.

He got a weird feeling, like he knew Ana from somewhere. Like she meant a lot to him at one point in his life. This life?! No… **_not_ ** this life. He just met Ana a few hours ago...

'So weird.' he thought.

As the corners of his mouth curled upwards into a smile, Christian thought back on how fast he had given Ana his card with the short message on it. Usually, he wasn't that forward, but Ana was just so … he couldn't seem to find the right word to describe her.

But after a few moments, he found the perfect word.

Ha! Got it! The word was: _Enchanting_. She was just _so_ enchanting.

Even if he tried, Christian didn't think he could get Ana out of his head now that he had met her.

As exhaustion took over his body, his eyes gradually fluttered shut. Christian knew that he had to get some sleep, even if it was just for a couple hours. He needed the rest, because he had to work the next day.

Yes, it's Sunday the next day, but there were still a few unsolved murder cases he and his partner Taylor had to solve.

Christian's eyes were closed, and as he felt himself slipping into a slumber, he saw flashes and images before his very eyes.

 _ **xx Christian's memory/dream xx**_

 _Cold water over his head and over the rest of his body, awoke Christian with a jolt._

 _"Get up, vermin!" he heard someone shout and it was then when he felt a kick in his gut._

 _Christian looked up, and stared into one of his enemies." What?!" he replied, and threw daggers with his eyes at the barbarian._

 _As his eyes landed on his men who also were held captive by their enemy, Christian counted and noticed, from the thirteen soldiers that were left of his large army, 1 was missing._

 _"Where is Callahan?!" Christian said, while tugging harshly on his restraints." What have you done to him!"_

 _The barbarian laughed at him, while looking at Christian with his lifeless eyes." He was weak! He couldn't handle the torture, sire." The word 'sire' he said very mockingly." Your soldier is dead, and we've put his body on the big pile of dead bodies…"_

 _And then the barbarian laughed loudly at Christian, making him tug harder on the restraints. Christian was seething, wanting nothing more than to fight his enemy right now._

 _However, Christian and his soldiers were all chained with shackles, none of them able to do anything._

 _Christian felt the burning sensation on both his wrists, the restraints on his hands breaking the skin there, because he was harshly tugging at them. However, that feeling was nothing compared to how he felt at that very moment._

 _Overnight he had lost everything! The kingdom, the castle, his people, his soldiers, and more importantly… he had lost his beautiful little family…_

 _"Ana… Theodore." He whispered, while a tear rolled down his cheek._

 _And yet, he smiled inwardly, because they were able to escape with his first in command. Sawyer and 'the giant' (the other soldier) were able to get his family into the ship and were now on their way to his uncle._

 _Christian felt a gnawing ache in the pit of his stomach, and at the same time he was relieved, happy that his family will not see or experience all this misery and agony._

 _(He received the message of his family boarding the ship from his best messenger, an hour before the barbarians had overpowered and taken over the castle)_

 _"Why are you smiling, vermin?" he heard the barbarian say._

 _"Nothing that concerns you." Christian replied, and held his head up high._

 _The barbarian laughed once more." Are you sure that you have a reason to smile, vermin?" he said." My men are also on **that** ship…"_

 _As those words reached his ears, Christian got up and leaped at the barbarian." No." he threatened._

 _"Yes." The barbarian replied." You can expect your beautiful wife and son… they will join you here, soon… or wait! No, only your son will be joining you. Your wife? Your precious, delicate beautiful wife? Well…" he laughed mockingly at Christian." I'm not sure where I'm gonna put her."_

 _Christian's whole body trembled, his head imploding from rage, while he threatened the barbarian." Don't you dare touch even a hair on her head!" he threatened, his eyes glaring, while tugging on his restraints once more._

 _"Oh, I won't… she just has something that I want…" the barbarian announced and walked out the dungeon._

 _Christian stared at the door, feeling powerless and sank to the floor._

 _"I've failed… I've failed my family…" he muttered, his whole body shaking as he wept._

 _One of his soldiers moved in the direction where Christian had sunk to the floor and locked eyes with his leader. "No, sire… don't think like that. Your first in command, Sawyer, and 'the giant', they will protect your wife and son. They would rather die than let the barbarians get to your family." He pointed out, sounding very convincing." Please, sire. Do not give up. Trust in your men. They will protect them and I have no doubt that they will reach the Duke."_

 _(They all called the soldier who went with Ana and Theodore 'the giant', because he was tall and broad and robust, and freakishly strong)_

 _Christian nodded, and let out a deep breath." You are right, John. 'The giant' and Sawyer are my best men… they **will** protect my family and defeat any enemy who's on that ship…" he said, and all of a sudden stood up._

 _He noticed someone coming their way…_

 _Nooo..._

 _Since the first day that they were held captive, the barbarians grabbed one of Christian's soldiers per day and brought them to get tortured._

 _They all sat up straight, and watched anxiously as the barbarians unlocked the cell door._

 _"That one." The torturer said and pointed out the soldier who just had given Christian the pep talk._

 _'Nooo, not John.' was what Christian thought at that moment._

 _He shook his head, as the soldier gave him a sad look." No! Take me instead!" Christian yelled, and tugged at the restraints again." Take me! Leave him! Take me instead! Please!"_

 _But no matter what Christian said, the torturer ignored him. He watched in horror, as one of his soldiers was being taken away…_

 _"No!" Christian yelled, his voice breaking in the end." Take me instead!"_

 _ **xx End of Christian's memory/ dream xx**_

He woke up, gasping for air. The sheets and pillows on Christian's bed were wet from his sweat and all the tears he had been shedding during the dream/ memory. His chest heaved, while he attempted to catch his breath.

"What the fuck was that?" were the words that tumbled from his pale lips." God…"

He touched his cheek and noticed that it was still wet. 'The hell?'

Christian shook his head, attempting to make sense of what he just experienced.

"May we meet again…" was what tumbled from his lips next.

Christian was totally freaking out right now. Was he going insane? Was that a nightmare? Was it a hallucination?

He got out of bed, walked into the bathroom and splashed his face with water.

It all felt _so_ real! Extremely real… He felt the emotion of wanting desperately to take John's place... OMG.

He still could _**feel** _ how it was, when he told her." May we meet again."

He lost her... oh, God!

It was _**her**_ in the dream. Ana… and their son?! Christian still felt every emotion in every fiber of his whole being. He felt a gut-wrenching pain cutting right through his soul, his heart exploding in his chest…

Christian still felt the gnawing ache of losing _his_ family… My family?! How was that even possible?

He shook his head and splashed water over his face once more. As he looked at his own reflection in the mirror, it finally dawned on Christian.

"That was _not_ just a nightmare… it was **real** ," he whispered." That _really_ happened to me."

* * *

The next morning, Ana woke up and sprinted towards her bathroom. As she walked towards her closet, after the shower, her mind automatically went to Christian. She _**had**_ to see him again, because Ana needed to know what the visions(or **_memories_**?) were about. It's so hard to believe that they were memories and that those events really happened.

However, her gut told Ana that it was real… realer than the air that she breathed.

As a sigh escaped her lips, she grabbed the outfit from the closet and slipped into it.

Ana had a lot to do at the studio; a lot of photos to develop. She loved taking pictures, so Ana became a photographer professionally. Her father wanted Ana to take over the family business, but that's not what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. At 15 Ana discovered that she wanted to become a photographer, when she grew up. On her 8th birthday, Ana received the best present ever from her mother. It was the newest model camera and she just took photos constantly. At one point, photography became the most important thing in her life, not being able to stop with it. Ana couldn't live without her camera anymore.

Her parents used to force Ana to put the camera away, because she even made photos of their food, during dinner and of her parents, while they ate.

Little did they know, Ana was going to become a very successful photographer in the future.

With the help of her dad, (financially) Ana had opened up her very own photo studio. She took pictures for the most popular magazines in the country. Ana kept telling her father that the money he had given her to start her own studio, was a loan.

'I will give you the money back, daddy.' She promised.

However, her father insisted that she didn't have to pay him a penny back.

In her father's eyes, Ana was his little angel and always will be. He was very disappointed, when she decided not to take over his successful business. However, after a lot of huge arguments Ana had with him, her dad finally accepted it. He knew how stubborn and persistent she was…

Nothing and no one could change Ana's mind about it. Once she put her mind on doing something, she gave it her all…

The outfit Ana decided to wear today was a pair of black skinny jeans, red top, black jacket and red pumps. She tied her long, dark brown hair in a messy bun and applied light make-up on her face. Her lips were naturally red, so she didn't need lip-gloss or lipstick.

When she was done, Ana looked at her own reflection in the mirror. At that, she smiled satisfied, and nodded. It was just a day like any other in her photo studio, so it was an OK look.

After grabbing her phone and hand bag, Ana walked out her penthouse apartment. From her apartment to the studio it was a 15 minute drive. At 9 AM, she arrived at the office and worked nonstop till 1 in the afternoon.

Yes, she had to have that _talk_ with Luke. It wasn't something Ana looked forward to, but it had to be done...

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

She and Luke met at the restaurant around 2 PM and had a nice meal. Luke was continuously asking Ana about what happened to her the night before.

She told him about Christian, and that he saved her life the night before. At first Luke sounded relieved. However, as Ana watched him closely, she could see in his eyes and his body language that he got extremely jealous about it!

Typical Luke… he was jealous of a man who saved her life! Ana was a bit angry at his reaction, but didn't say a thing, not wanting to have a fight in a public place.

At that moment her mom called, reminding Ana of the dinner party she had planned for a month. Her mother kept saying that Luke and her had to come to the party.

However, Ana wasn't in the mood for parties and gritted her teeth in annoyance. She still had a lot of work to do in her studio and Ana had a deadline— one she intended to meet.

However, her mom and Luke both wanted her to go to said dinner party, so at a certain point Ana caved and agreed to it. Instead of cursing in English like she intended to, Ana mumbled words Luke didn't understand.

When she was in college, Ana had a foreign exchange student as her roommate. She was Dutch and had taught Ana her native language. That's why she still was able to speak Dutch.

As she spoke Dutch, Luke was staring at Ana like she was some crazy person. Instead of switching to English, Ana laughed at him mentally. Luke hated when she spoke Dutch, so Ana purposely did, whenever she was angry at him.

At the moment he was giving her a very disapproving look, so Ana told him that he could pick her up around 7:15 PM for the party.

Ugh! Stupid dinner party…

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

After lunch Ana went back to the studio and worked till 4:30 PM. She got back home and decided to get ready for the party.

But not before calling Christian. She didn't know why, but Ana was shaking like a leaf, while dialing his number.

"I have to see him." She whispered, and pressed call.

Ana wanted to know more about the visions/ memories that she had been experiencing. They felt extremely real… and she believed they were. Ana truly did.

She wasn't planning on blurting it out. Ana just wanted to find out if she got more of those, when being in his presence.

Because she experienced the last 'memory', after touching and reading the card that Christian had given her.

Maybe she will, or maybe she won't get the answers she sought.

Also, Ana wanted to introduce Christian to her family. He _did_ save her life and that meant a lot to her…

As she waited patiently for him to answer the phone, Ana's hand trembled slightly. The anticipation was almost killing her… she was so excited and scared at the same time.

During the phone conversation, Christian sounded happy to hear her voice.

"Hi Ana, I'm really glad that you called me." She heard him say.

Heat instantly spread to her cheeks, when he said that. She slapped herself mentally, wondering why she acted like a love-struck teenager.

"Uhmm… well, my mom has this thing… a dinner party." Ana pointed out." Would you like to attend it?"

"Will you be there?" she heard him say.

"Yeah, of course." Ana replied, her cheeks still crimson red.

"Then of course I want to go to the party, because you'll also be there." She heard Christian say.

As those words tumbled from his lips, Ana's heart almost skipped a beat, knowing that she was going to see Christian again.

She then ended the phone conversation.

Ana still smiled, as she was busy getting her luxurious bath tub ready.

"Stop it!" she scolded herself, unable to stop with smiling, as she thought of Christian.

As she stepped inside the tub, Ana all of a sudden was reminded of her last 'memory.'

" **May we meet again** …" he had said, while she cried. (in the memory)

And indeed… She and her husband from her past life _**have**_ indeed met each other again.

Oh God…

* * *

 **Note: Yup, Christian also had a vision/memory, triggered by meeting Ana. :(**

 **So... tell me what you think of the chap?**

 _ **Leave me a review, short or long? ;)**_

 _Thank_ you all for the support, I appreciate it.

Till the next one,

J


	4. Erased completely

**I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Erased completely**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

 _"_ ** _May we meet again_** _…" he had said, while she cried. (in the memory)_

 _And indeed… She and her husband from her past life_ ** _have_** _indeed met each other again._

 _Oh God…_

 **{{Approximately 9 hours** _ **EARLIER**_ **}}**

This morning, Christian woke up with a very funny feeling in his stomach. He still remembered and felt the emotions from the dream, or was it a memory?

Memory… yes, it was indeed a memory. Weird and totally unrealistic, and yet his gut told him that it wasn't just a nightmare or a hallucination.

Christian felt it; it had been **_real_** …

As a sigh escaped his lips, he thought about how insane it sounded, and yet every fiber in his body told him that it really happened. Ana…

At that, he shook his head and did his best not to think about it for now. Christian got out of bed, took a shower and ate breakfast. As he walked out the front door, Christian still had Ana on his mind. He'd just met her the night before, and yet he felt as if he knew her very well.

Was what he had experienced during the dream, something that happened in a previous life? No… it can't be. From another lifetime? No!

He wasn't the kind of man who believed in such things... And yet, 'I swear to God, it felt so real.' He thought.

"Ugh!" Christian muttered, deciding then to stop pondering, because he truly didn't know anymore.

The dream or so called 'memory' was bothering him immensely. As he threw a quick glance at his watch, Christian saw that it was 9:00 AM. He called a cab company and the driver drove him to the bar, where he had left his car the night before.

Christian then slid behind the wheel of his car and drove to work; it was a 20-minute drive. The moment he arrived at the Police station, there was no time to think about Ana though. There was a murder case to be solved. So, he worked with his colleagues Jason Taylor and José Rodriguez to investigate said murder case.

At noon, Christian had lunch and after that, he got back to the Precinct to investigate some more. After working on the case for almost two and a half hours, they finally had a lead. At that moment, Christian received a call from the medical examiner, telling him that she discovered something odd/important on the body of the deceased.

"I'll go to the morgue, and check it out." Christian told Taylor.

"Sure thing." his colleague replied, and grabbed his jacket from the chair." Jose and I will check out the new lead."

 **~xxx~**

When Christian came back from the morgue, Taylor and Jose walked into the Precinct, from checking out the lead they had. The three cops immediately compared their findings regarding the murder case...

After reporting to their Captain, Taylor and Jose walked towards their desks. Christian went to his office, and it was then, when he received a certain call. As he looked at the display, Christian furrowed his brows, not recognizing the number. He wondered who it was, because there were only a few people who he had given his private cell phone number to.

When he heard Ana's voice though, Christian swore his heart stopped beating for a second. He was surprised, because he didn't expect her to call so soon. Or even to call… at all.

With a stupid grin on his face, Christian talked to Ana. She was inviting him over to dinner at her parents' house.

At first Christian wanted to decline, because he didn't know her family.

However, her request sounded so sincere and to be honest, Christian was dying to see Ana again— to gaze into those sparkling, gorgeous eyes of hers, as he willingly 'drowned' in them...

Also, Christian needed to find out what exactly the 'memory' was about.

So... he accepted her invitation.

Ana sounded glad and gave Christian the address and directions. Then she ended the phone conversation…

Christian was still smiling like an idiot, when his two colleagues walked into his office. They immediately asked Christian why he looked so happy, but he deliberately avoided answering the question and changed the subject, and talked about their case.

Christian must be delusional, if he thought that they'd let it go so easily. His colleagues knew him well, especially Taylor. He knew instantly that a woman was involved, the reason why Christian had smiled like that.

Taylor didn't let it go and kept asking questions about Ana, teasing Christian. Taylor kept grilling him till Christian begged his colleague to stop. While Taylor teased him, Jose looked at Christian with pity in his eyes… just a little though.

Because Christian saw more _amusement_ than pity on his other colleague's face.

At a certain point Christian couldn't take the grilling and teasing any longer and disappeared on his two colleagues. Taylor laughed at him, and lied.

"Aww… come one, Grey! We'll stop grilling you about the lady. We promise… Come back!"

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

It was 5:15 PM, when Christian got into his car and went home. He took a nap and after that, Christian got ready for the dinner party that started around 7:30 PM. The clothes he picked were: a pair of blue black trousers, a black button down shirt and black shoes. Christian combed his hair and then walked towards his living room. Before walking out the door, he grabbed his wallet, car keys and phone and shoved them into his coat pocket and then slipped into his coat.

Around 7:45 PM, Christian arrived at the address Ana had given him, stunned to find out that her parents lived in a very luxurious villa. To be honest, Christian didn't know Ana came from a wealthy family… she was so down to earth.

He then parked his car and walked to the front door. Before he could knock though, the door swung open. A butler welcomed him and Christian told the older man that he was invited by Ana. A sincere smile appeared on the butler's face and then the man told Christian to follow him.

The moment he saw Ana, Christian had trouble controlling his heartbeat. Again, it seemed his heart stopped beating for a second.

Ana had her back to him and was talking to a guest. As he walked towards her, she decided to turn around. Ana looked breathtaking! Christian had trouble breathing and looked at her, while clearing his throat more than once.

Her short red dress and black high heels were perfect on her. Ana wore her shiny, long dark-brown hair down, and her eye make-up looked flawless…

WOW.

At that moment, Christian had trouble focusing on anything else, but the beauty standing before him.

Ana then introduced Christian to her boyfriend…

As he shook her boyfriend's hand, Christian saw images and flashes of the man… but not from now. Christian recognized Luke, Ana's boyfriend as… Sawyer?!

The one Christian trusted his family with in his 'memory'?!

What the hell?!

"I'd like my hand back now, Mr. Grey." He heard Ana's boyfriend say.

Christian then realized that he was still holding onto Luke's hand. At that, he shook his head and pulled his hand back and shoved it in his pocket."Uhmm... sorry." he said, while looking utterly confused at Ana and Luke.

It was then, when Ana's parents walked over to the trio, so Ana introduced Christian to her parents.

As he listened to her parents, Christian felt his heart sink… she was taken.

Ana had a boyfriend.

She was already taken...

He didn't show it, but Christian was very disappointed about it. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, because Ana's parents were asking him about how he had saved her life. Christian told the story and noticed that they were very grateful that he had been there to prevent that truck from hitting their precious daughter.

Ana's parents thanked Christian for saving her life, and so did her boyfriend. Ana's parents were nice; that's when Christian knew from whom Ana has that.

To be honest, he didn't expect to enjoy the party at all. However, in Christian's opinion it was a good dinner party. The food was wonderful, and the conversations were nice.

Now and then, Ana looked his way with that beautiful smile on her face. She had such an effect on him, making Christian slap himself mentally, telling himself to keep it together.

'She already has a boyfriend.' was what he kept thinking.

Every time Ana's eyes met his though, Christian's heart kicked up a notch, pounding against his chest as if it wanted to leap out of it…

'Stop it.' Christian scolded himself mentally.' She's taken…'

Every occasionally, Ana threw a glance at Christian and she instantly got a funny feeling in her tummy. It was ridiculous and strange that Ana never had these feelings, when she was with Luke, her own boyfriend.

'Crap! Stop it, Ana!' she scolded herself mentally.

Luke noticed the glances Ana threw Christian, because the way he was looking at him right now was kind of disturbing, in her opinion…

Ana noticed flashes in Luke's eyes that were terrifying her, like he was about to strangle Christian or something worse.

All of a sudden, Luke began to talk badly about the Police officers and detectives of their City. Luke talked about corruption, police commissioners who accepted a lot of money from drug dealers so they could keep selling drugs, cases that were unsolved because of negligence from the detectives. Luke went on and on and on.

Ana's dad tried to stop him, but he was _**so** _ jealous of Christian that he just didn't listen to anyone, his hands clenching into huge fists.

Christian did his very best to stay calm, but Ana noticed he was losing his patience at a certain point. The look in his gray eyes and his body language told Ana so. So to prevent awful things from happening between Luke and her guest, Ana announced that she had promised Christian to show him some of her work.

He understood instantly that Ana wanted to prevent a scene, so Christian nodded and said. "Yes, can I see them now please?"

After excusing herself, Ana got up from her seat and began to walk towards the library. Christian followed suit, making her suddenly become nervous, knowing that he was walking right behind her.

At that, Ana scolded herself mentally.' Ana, why are you acting this way? Stop it!'

The library was on the other side of the spacious villa. As they reached it, she suddenly stopped in her tracks out of nervousness, making him bump into her. Ana turned around and they both began to laugh. Well, to be honest she was just giggling like a schoolgirl. As Ana looked up at Christian, she was blown away by his boyish smile and twinkle in his sparkling, gray eyes.

Christian on the other hand, was amazed that Ana was a photographer… wow. Never in a million years, he would have guessed that Ana was an artist. He bet her photos were amazing like her.

Ana then showed Christian the photos she had taken over the years. He admired them and complimented Ana. She smiled shyly and at that moment, Christian was mesmerized by her beautiful smile. Ana was absolutely breathtaking!

 _ **At that very moment, Christian had the sudden urge to bring his hand up to her face and to caress her soft cheek. But he wanted to take his time and caress it slowly, very slowly to make the feeling last longer. Christian imagined that if he did, the moment his fingertips would collide with her delicate skin, Ana's eyes would instantly flutter shut.**_

Christian was taken out of his inappropriate thoughts though, when her scent invaded his nostrils. Ana stood so close, making him inhale deeply and took in the scent that was all her: strawberries and vanilla. It drove all his senses utterly mad.

It was then, when Christian realized that he had to leave... right away, afraid if he'd stay this close to her any longer, he would do things that he might regret later. Things like tracing his thumb along her red rose lips…

As his eyes landed on said red lips, Christian mentally slapped himself again.

"I really have to go, Ana." Christian pointed out." Maybe some other time, you can show me more of your work at the photo studio?"

"Uhmm... sure, I'd like that." she replied.

He used the excuse that he had to work the next day.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Ana." Christian commented, and then smiled at her.

The corners of Ana's mouth instantly curled upwards into a smile." It was my pleasure, Christian." She replied, her beautiful eyes locked onto his.

He then gently placed his hand onto hers. The moment Christian touched her hand though; it looked like Ana was _'gone'_ for a few moments.

"Are you alright, Ana?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

However, Ana shook her head and snapped out of it." Sorry… uhmm, yeah, I'm fine." she replied.

As Ana walked Christian to the front door, he asked her if he could call her, whenever he needed a photographer.

Ana chuckled, and joked." Can you afford me, Mr. Grey?"

Christian knew that she wasn't being serious, so he replied with." Well, I saved your life, maybe you can give me a discount?"

At that, they both laughed, and as they reached the front door, Ana looked up at Christian and cleared her throat.

"Christian, I'm so sorry for Luke's behavior." She apologized." I don't know what came over him to act so unreasonable and rude to you."

Christian had a smirk on his face, and cleared his throat." Well, I know why he was acting like that." He pointed out." He was extremely jealous. Maybe I would be too, if I had a girlfriend who was as beautiful and wonderful as you, Ana."

Then Christian said good night, and walked away with that smirk still plastered on his handsome face, leaving her at the front door flabbergasted. Ana was utterly stunned at hearing those words, not able to reply and stood frozen at the spot.

As Ana finally had caught her breath, she whispered." My heart can't take this much. Help me, Lord."

Thinking about the words that had tumbled from Christian's lips not long ago, Ana stood still at the threshold of her parents' front door.

With her right hand over her heart...

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

As Christian looked back once, he noticed that Ana was still standing still on the threshold of the front door.

When he reached his car though, Christian mentally kicked himself.

"Why the fuck did I just say that _last_ line to her?" he muttered, and huffed."Aargh! I must be going insane."

Ana had a boyfriend who was as wealthy as her and her parents. He was a fool to think that Ana would even feel the slightest of what he felt for her.

Christian could just strangle himself for acting like a naïve teenager. He then slid behind the wheel of his car and drove home feeling like a fool, scolding himself continuously.

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

It was approximately 1:30 AM and all the guests had left the party. Luke was on the other side of the huge villa, talking to Ana's parents about some business deal. As she walked in the direction of the kitchen, Ana smiled and thought about how successful the evening had gone.

And then out of nowhere, one of her father's business partners, Harvey, bumped into her.

'Ugh! Creep! Pervert!' was what she thought, as her eyes landed on the man.

Ana thought that Harvey had left already... She never liked the man! He was old, almost 60 but he thought that he was such a Casanova! Just because he was wealthy, he thought that he can buy anything and anyone! The man loved young girls who were younger than 21.

Someone had told Ana, he even had a girlfriend once who was 16! Harvey was a pervert, one she never liked, and was a married man also. His wife was very nice and didn't deserve to be treated like he treated her.

Ana had the natural urge to vomit, when Harvey smiled at her.

"Wow… you look very nice tonight, little Ana… so gorgeous." He told her.

Ana cringed, as those words reached her ears, and ignored the man. He even touched her on her shoulder.

"How dare you!" Ana shouted." Don't touch me, OK!"

She was just about to walk away, when Harvey roughly grabbed Ana and held her wrist tightly. He smelled disgusting! The pervert was clearly drunk.

Ana wanted to scream, but it was at that **_very_ ** moment when images flashed through her head.

 _ **xx Ana's Memory xx**_

 _It happened 15 years ago. She and her mom just left the Supermarket, and sat in the car, after putting the groceries in the back._

" _Oh, shoot!" her mom said." I forgot the milk, sweetie. Wait in the car for me, OK?"_

 _Ana nodded." OK, mom. I'm gonna take pictures with my camera." She said and smiled widely._

 _At that, Ana's mom walked in the direction of the Supermarket._

 _After taking a few photos, Ana put her camera down and turned on the radio. As she listened to a song, her eyes darted towards the other side of the parking lot. It was then, when she noticed something odd._

" _Was that Mr. Harvey?" was what tumbled from her lips then._

 _Yes, it was him…_

 _Ana kept watching, and noticed him walking up to someone. He looked furious! He was talking to a girl. No, he wasn't talking, but was shouting at her, and at one point grabbed her roughly!_

 _Ana got scared and noticed that the teenager, the girl, was terrified too._

 _She wanted to walk away from Harvey, and kept tugging, attempting to lose his tight grip on her! Instead of letting her go, Harvey held her tighter and dragged her towards his car! She screamed for help, but he had put his hand around her mouth muffling her cries._

 _Ana watched in horror, as Harvey shoved the girl inside the black car! She desperately wanted to help her, but was too afraid, and sat in her seat, as if she was paralyzed..._

 _As tears rolled down Ana's cheeks, she desperately wanted to yell for help, but was unable to do so. Her vocal cords were not cooperating at that moment!_

 _As loud sobs escaped her lips, Ana sat useless in the car and watched in horror as Harvey drove away with the crying, screaming girl inside his car…_

 _ **xx End of Ana's Memory xx**_

Harvey was still holding onto her wrist tightly, as Ana figuratively got shoved back to the _**now**_. She became hysterical, because Harvey didn't want to let her go.

So, Ana screamed with tears in her eyes, as loud as her vocal cords allowed her to.

"Let go of me!" Ana yelled, repeating those 4 words over and over again.

She was scared out of her mind!

The memory was haunting her and it was then, when Ana wondered how it was possible that she had forgotten all about that horrific incident.

Oh, God! Did something bad happen to the girl? (She looked around 17) Did Harvey do something to her? OMG! Did he hurt her?! Oh God… Where was she now?

Harvey didn't expect Ana to act this hysterical, and instantly let go of her wrist, when he heard her parents and Luke storming towards them.

Ana's dad looked furious and shoved Harvey so hard that he fell on the floor! He shouted at Harvey, asking what he had done to Ana.

Ana's father was friends with the pervert, so he knew he liked young women and assumed he tried to hit on his daughter.

So, without waiting for Harvey's answer, her dad shouted." Get the hell out of my house, now!"

And that was exactly what the pervert did… Harvey ran out the villa, even stumbled a few times.

Ana was still sobbing hysterically, so her father took her in his arms and promised." It's gonna be OK, sweetie... I am here for you."

Ana's mother cried also and wrapped her arms around her husband and Ana. Instead of comforting Ana, Luke just stood there like the fifth wheel of a car.

While Ana was in her parents' arms, she sobbed, still being haunted by the memory of what happened to that teenage girl. At a certain point, she stood there the wheels in her head turning...

'What the hell happened to me, making me _**forget** all_ about her?' Ana thought.

How was it possible that her memories of _**that** _**particular** **day** had been completely erased, **until** just **_now_**?

As she gently pulled away from her parents' embrace, she gasped softly, her eyes teary." And more importantly… what became of _that_ girl?! What did Harvey do to her?" were the words that tumbled from Ana's lips, while a flash of shock appeared in her father's eyes...

* * *

 **Note: OMG! Ana remembered! :(**

 **So... tell me what you think of the chap?**

 _ **Leave me a review, short or long? ;) Thanks a bunch, my lovely readers.**_

 _Thank you all for reading and the reviews. :)_

Till the next one,

J


	5. I'm here for you

**I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **I'm here for you**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

After what happened with Harvey, Ana's dad thought it would be best for her to stay with them for the night. At first she declined.

"No, dad… I, uhmm… I'm fine." She said." I just wanna go home…"

However, her father refused to let her go." You need us now more than ever, honey." He pointed out." Come on… look at you… take a shower and sleep here for just one night."

At this point, Ana had no energy left in her body, too exhausted and still a bit shocked from what happened, so she agreed.

 **~ In one of the many spare bedrooms in the villa ~**

"Do you want me to sleep next to you, honey?" Ana's mom asked her.

She shook her head at that." No, mom… that's not necessary." Ana replied." I need to uhmm… I need some alone time. Good night."

Her father nodded." That's OK, Ana… we'll talk tomorrow." He advised, and hugged Ana once more.

"Good night, sweetie." Carla said, and kissed Ana on her forehead.

Her mom and dad were just about to walk out the bedroom door, when the wheels in Ana's head started to turn continuously. She decided then to ask her mom about that day 15 years ago. Carla was with Ana that day…

"Mom?" Ana said.

Her mom and dad instantly stopped in their tracks." Yes, sweetie?" she replied.

"What is it, hon?" Ana's father asked, and looked at his daughter questioningly.

Ana let out a deep breath, and locked eyes with her mom." Did uhmm… did I tell you years ago, I was twelve I think, about seeing Harvey grabbing a teenage girl?" she asked, while looking at her mom with a hopeful look in her eyes.

For a split second, Ana saw her father and mother tense. However, they both recovered fast.

"Uhmm… no, sweetie." Her mom replied, locking eyes with Ana. "Tonight was the first time that you've mentioned it to me… or your dad."

Then she looked at her husband. "Right, Ray?"

At that, her husband nodded." You've never told us about this before, honey… tonight was the first time." He replied, sounding so convincing.

At that moment, Ana almost believed her parents… However, she's known them for 27 years and was able to read their 'tells'. She knew they weren't being honest... her parents were lying to her!

Ana clenched her hands into small fists, feeling betrayed right now. And yet she nodded and gave them a fake smile. Exhaustion had taken over her body completely, so Ana decided not to press the matter.

For now…

"OK, then… well, I wished that I had told you about it." Ana remarked, and sat on the bed.

Ana's dad nodded at that. "Try and get some rest, honey." He advised." Your mom and I will continue this conversation with you tomorrow, OK?"

She nodded and got up from the bed. Then she walked over to her parents and kissed them both good night.

The moment she was alone in the room, Ana walked over to the bathroom and began taking off of her clothes. She had wrapped a towel around her body, and was looking at her own reflection in the mirror.

"What happened to me? Why did I forget about that day in the parking lot of the Supermarket?" Ana whispered, and then closed her eyes.

"Hey, babe?" she heard a voice say from a short distance.

It was Luke…

Ana let out a deep breath, and looked up at him. He walked towards her, and then wrapped his arms around her. As she felt his body close to her, Ana began to tremble slightly.

He felt it, and pulled back from the embrace." Ana?" he said, and looked at her questioningly.

"I'm still uhmm… still shaken up b… by Harvey…" She explained, and avoided his gaze.

Luke then took a few steps back." I'm so sorry about what happened, Ana. Harvey is such a disgusting man." Ana heard him say.

As Ana observed her boyfriend, she all of a sudden felt anger rise inside of her. "We all know **_what_ ** Harvey is, because your father and mine have worked with the pervert for more than 20 years… we can expect that from him." she pointed out, and looked at him accusingly." However, I never knew you were the kind of person who would leave me there standing, while I was scared out of my mind, Luke…"

As those words reached his ears, Luke tensed." I'm really sorry about that, but I panicked. I was unsure what to do… how to handle the situation."

Ana shook her head and gave him a disapproving look. "So, if something awful would happen in the future and I need my boyfriend to help me or hold me, you're gonna ' _panic_ ' also?" she asked, in an accusing tone. "You're gonna leave me to handle it on my own and do _nothing_?"

Yup, Ana hit a nerve right there, because Luke was speechless and looked at her with puppy dog eyes. He then took a step forward to close the gap between them. However, Ana turned her face the other way, when Luke wanted to cup her face.

"I ca… can't, Luke… sorry." She said, her eyes fluttering shut." The feeling of Harvey's hand gripping me on my wrist, uhmm… the memory and feeling are still raw in my mind and body… I can't."

Luke nodded. "I understand." He said.

Ana felt very dirty at the moment, after Harvey had touched her. She felt very uncomfortable that Luke was so close, while she was in _only_ a towel. That was all Harvey's doing…

"I'd like to take that shower now, Luke." Ana announced, so he nodded and walked out the bathroom to give her some privacy.

After scrubbing her whole body with a lot of soap and shower gel, Ana turned on the shower and sighed, the feeling of the warm water soothing her skin.

"He's gotta go." She whispered, and stepped out the shower.

As Ana walked over to the closet, she grabbed the clothes and then noticed Luke standing behind her. She turned around, and saw how his eyes were lingering on her body.

'Yup, he's gotta go.' Ana thought, when Luke cupped her face and traced her bottom lip with his thumb. She just didn't feel like having company right now.

"Luke, uhmm… I really don't feel like having company tonight…" Ana commented, and avoided his gaze.

He cleared his throat at that. "I would like to stay with you, baby... I'm so sorry about before." She heard him say.

Ana sighed deeply and then locked eyes with him. "Sorry... but I would like to get some sleep now, because tomorrow I have a lot to do at work. I really need to sleep alone tonight though. Maybe tomorrow?" she pointed out and cleared her throat." Can you go, please?"

Fortunately Luke understood why she needed him to leave. He kissed Ana on the forehead and said." Good night, babe."

A sigh escaped her lips, as Ana watched Luke walk out the bedroom door. She felt so relieved that she finally was all alone.

As Ana laid herself down on the bed, she closed her eyes, wanting desperately to forget about Harvey and the teenage girl.

However, that was more difficult than she thought. The memory of how the girl screamed and how Harvey shoved her into the black car still too vivid…

After a lot of tossing and turning in bed, Ana eventually fell asleep with a pair of familiar, gray eyes on her mind.

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

The next morning, Ana woke up around 9:30 AM. She immediately took a shower, got dressed and walked out the bedroom. She wanted to greet her parents good morning and also planned to go home, before heading to work, because she wanted to change into her work clothes first.

However, when she almost reached her father's office, Ana heard her parents and Luke whispering.

'Guess Luke stayed the night too in one of the other spare bedrooms.' She thought.

Ana didn't want to face him yet, but she had to at least greet her parents, before heading out the door.

She almost stepped into the office, but then she heard her dad say." Carla, I told you we should have _never_ given permission to erase Ana's memory of that day. For some reason now, she remembers. So, what are we going to tell her? Huh? How are we going to explain this to our daughter? I know she was young at the time, but we didn't have the right to mess with her mind."

Ana instantly took a step back, her breath hitching in her throat at hearing that. She all of a sudden froze at the spot, unable to move from there.

Ana knew her father very well and heard in his voice that he was on the verge of breaking down.

Then Ana heard her mom say." Ana had nightmares for weeks about that day! I couldn't let her suffer like that. I couldn't bear to see my only child suffer as she had. At the time I believed we did the right thing!"

Carla's voice was firm, like she believed she had done _**nothing**_ wrong.

Then she heard Luke say. "I still believe it was the right thing to do, Sir. My father asked Harvey about it at the time and Harvey explained that Ana was clearly _exaggerating_. His conversation that day with the teenage girl didn't go like Ana had described. My father believed Harvey's story and not Ana's. I trust my dad, so…"

As Luke's words reached her ears, Ana ran…

She could not believe it! As tears rolled down her cheeks, Ana stormed out of her parents' villa. She immediately slid behind the wheel of her car and drove as fast as she could, away from _those_ people!

Ana thought she knew them, but she had been so wrong! The tears made it difficult for her to see the road, and yet Ana kept driving. The three people in the world that she trusted with her life had betrayed her…

'So, Luke believed _Harvey_ over me?! My parents had kept me in the dark for so long. They let strangers erase my mind?!' were the words that bounced inside her skull, unable to believe what she just found out…

They all believed that Ana made that story up… she couldn't believe this.

As Ana arrived at her photo studio, she immediately walked into her office. The moment she had shut the door, Ana let it all out. She sobbed like a baby, crying till her head pounded in her ears. There was no one in the world that she could turn to…

The three most important people in Ana's life had done her wrong in such a horrible way.

After a while, her sobs subsided and she had finally calmed down. At the moment Ana wanted… no not wanted, but _needed_ someone to talk to.

However, she didn't want to go to her friends; she just felt she couldn't trust them enough with this. Ana knew them and the moment she would tell them about this, they _will_ go to her parents or Luke.

As a sigh escaped her lips, Ana thought about her life. People told her every day how perfect it was. Well, today was proof that it wasn't. Not at all.

Conclusion: Her life had been a big, fat **lie** …

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

While Ana was sitting in the chair in her office, swallowing all that just had happened at her parents' house this morning, a particular photo caught her eye.

During the dinner party last evening, Ana made a lot of photos. She had given her camera to her assistant, Kate, when she left the party the night before.

Kate had already developed the photos for her and had placed them on Ana's desk in her office. As her eyes locked on _that_ photo, the corners of Ana's mouth curled upwards without her accord.

It was Christian…

He was smiling on the photo, his clear gray eyes looking straight into the camera, like he was attempting to draw Ana in…

At that, she smiled so widely that it almost hurt. Out of nowhere, Ana had the sudden urge to go see him… Christian.

Gosh, was she crazy for even thinking about it?!

However, Ana just had a feeling… a weird vibe that told her that she knew Christian longer than just 2 days. She _**had**_ to see him, she couldn't help herself but Ana felt that she just had to do it...

Without hesitation, Ana grabbed the photo from her desk and walked out the door... not even worrying about the consequences. Christian should be at work, so she drove to the Police station. On her way there, Ana swore her heart pounded like it wanted to leap out of her chest.

"Christian…" was what tumbled from her lips, as Ana closed off the world around her.

 _ **~ Approximately three and a half hours EARLIER ~**_

Christian woke up with a huge head ache. After taking a shower, he ate breakfast and went to work. As he arrived at the Precinct, Taylor and Jose were busy interrogating the suspect.

However, after the guys had grilled the man for almost two hours straight, they decided to let him go free. His alibi had come forward and the evidence was also weak.

Taylor was angry about it, refusing to let the suspect go free. At the moment, Christian spoke to him.

"We have to let him go, Taylor." Christian pointed out and locked eyes with his colleague. "For now. We'll let him go for now."

Taylor was seething, his hands clenched into huge fists." He's guilty, Grey. I know it! He killed that woman in cold blood, I just know!"

Christian looked at him and promised." We'll get him, Taylor. Don't worry. You, Jose and me, we just have to investigate further and get the evidence we need to prosecute him."

At that, Taylor unclenched his hands and sighed." OK, we will do more detecting then."

After the conversation with Taylor, Christian walked back towards his office. Jose and Taylor went to the crime scene again to check what they maybe missed the first two times.

As he stepped inside, Christian's eyes landed on the paperwork on his desk.

Geesh, that was a lot… he decided then to do it later on in the day.

He was busy looking up the finances of the suspect, when all of a sudden Christian's mind brought him back to the evening before.

Ana….

She looked so enchanting in the red dress… As the image of Ana in the red dress appeared in his head, Christian saw another image of her though...

This time it wasn't of her in that modern and luxurious villa, but it was a mesmerizing image of her in a castle… yes, it was their castle…

 _ **** Christian's memory ****_

 _Ana walked towards him, in a long, red gown._

 _"Christian, my love…" she said seductively, and pulled her golden hairpin from her shiny locks, making her hair cascade down onto her creamy shoulders._

 _He was sitting on their bed, amazed and in awe by his beautiful wife._

 _"Come here…" he demanded, making her lips curl into a seductive smile._

 _Ana closed the gap between them, and he watched her ruby red lips, wanting nothing more than to devour them…_

 _She reached him, and began taking off of her clothing._

 _Christian watched in anticipation, desperately aching to touch his beautiful wife… wanting to kiss every inch of all that creamy skin of hers…_

 _"Make love to me…" Ana demanded from him._

 _ **** End of memory ****_

Christian was harshly shoved back to reality, by a soft but persistent knock on his office door. He got up from his chair, and almost fell out of it, still dazed from the memory in his head.

He walked towards the door, and wondered who it could be. The moment he opened said door, an oh so familiar scent invaded his nostrils. Seconds after that, Christian saw Ana's gorgeous face.

She looked like she had been crying for a while… her eyes were red and puffy and her make-up was smudged a little. Ana looked so vulnerable and badly hurt, making Christian's heart ache for her. Then he saw tears pooling in her eyes, while she looked up at him, her body trembling slightly.

Ana looked so small and fragile; it was heartbreaking. Right then, Christian couldn't hold himself back anymore. He had such an urge to pick her up and safely hide her away from the big bad world. At this moment he didn't care that he only had met her 2 nights ago… to him it felt like he has known Ana all his life...

Without asking her what was wrong, Christian decided to comfort Ana. Sometimes actions are more effective, words at times ruining the moment. He closed the gap between them, taking a step forward. Then he stopped, and waited for Ana to take the last step towards him.

It didn't take long though, before Ana moved from her spot. She watched Christian, and just felt their connection, the undeniable bond between them. Ana knew that she was safe with this gray-eyed stranger.

Ana felt it in every fiber of her whole being. When she saw him waiting after taking the first step, Ana's next action melted Christian's heart.

Without hesitation, she closed the small gap between them, and stood so close to him. Christian then gently wrapped his arms around her small frame, doing his utter best not to crush her.

He held her in his arms like there was no tomorrow. Ana gently placed her head on his chest and held onto him for dear life. It felt amazing…

As Christian wrapped Ana into his body heat, he said a prayer, wishing that he could hold her like this forever, never wanting to let her go again…

Leaning against his solid hard chest, and being enveloped by Christian's warmth, made Ana feel like she was home. It felt as if she had been lost for so long and she finally found her sanctuary. All the restlessness and emptiness of the last couple of months vanished into thin air. As her nose unintentionally ended up in the crook of his neck, his manly, and yet sweet scent invaded her nostrils, making her feel so at ease.

Ana had never felt this bliss before. The feeling making her head spin in a good way. Her dad always made her feel safe. However, in Christian's warmth, she felt safer than with anyone else before. So weird, but that didn't make it less true...

At a certain point Ana's eyes fluttered open slowly, still dazed from inhaling Christian's intoxicating scent. He smelled amazing, she had to admit. The aftershave he used mixed with, — she suppose was _all_ _him_ , seem to make Ana think unclear.

Crazy things like. 'If I would die right now, I would die a happy person.' Went through her head, making Ana feel concerned about the situation.

They reluctantly pulled apart after she had calmed down completely though. Ana sighed deeply, already missing the warmth that was Christian. He gently put his right hand on her upper arm and looked down at Ana with his clear gray eyes.

"I'm here for you whenever you need me, Ana. I may not know what's going on with you at the moment. But I want you to know that I'm here for you, when and _**if**_ you decide to confide in me." Christian whispered, the words almost sounding like music to her ears.

With a smile on her face, Ana looked him deep in the eyes, and nodded." I know that. Only Lord knows how, but I have a feeling I can trust you, Christian... Thank you." she then stood on her tippy toes and was about to give him a kiss on his cheek, but all of a sudden Christian's colleague swung the door open.

"Oops, excuse me. I didn't know you had company, Grey." The tall man said, and observed them while Ana and Christian stood there in front of each other. His eyes darted towards Christian then to Ana and then back to Christian again.

However, Christian wasn't amused by his colleague and gave the man a very serious look." What do you want, Taylor?" he asked and glared at his colleague.

If Ana was Taylor, she would've been very afraid. And if looks could kill, Taylor would've fallen dead on the ground by now. Ana laughed internally, knowing that Christian was a bit angry at Taylor for disturbing him.

Christian's glare didn't affect him though." Jose and I are waiting for you to give you the details about the case, Grey." He pointed out, smiled widely and then closed the door behind him.

"It's okay, go and check what they need. I will be waiting here in your office." Ana pointed out, and smiled at Christian.

He looked at Ana questioningly, as if he wanted to ask if she was sure.

"I'll be fine here." she convinced him, and took a seat in a chair.

Christian nodded and said." OK, wait here?"

And then he walked out the office door and went to talk to his colleagues. As Ana's eyes darted around the office, observing everything in it, she chuckled softly.

'This place _**so**_ needed a makeover.' Was what went through Ana's head.

After a while, Christian came back into the office.

He told Ana he had to leave right this instant." I'm _**so**_ sorry, Ana. But we have a major lead on the case we're working on." He explained with an apologetic look on his face." Also, I have a situation of another case I have to handle. I really have to go. Can I call you later?"

Christian was disappointed that he had to leave right now.

"Yes, of course you can call me, Christian." Ana replied, and smiled at him.

She got up from her seat and Christian offered." Let me walk you out, Ana."

Christian walked with her till they stood outside the building, and then he lightly placed a hand on her upper arm." You seem to be going through something difficult right now, and I feel real guilty by leaving you. Will you be okay though, Ana?" he asked with a worried tone.

Ana looked up at him, and felt a tug at her heart, moved that he was concerned of her well being. "Yes, I will be fine. I'm gonna go finish some more work at the photo studio." Ana replied and gave him a small smile." So, you know where to find me."

Christian looked at her, and in her opinion he didn't seem quite convinced, so she said." I'll be fine, Christian. Really!"

The way he was gazing down at Ana, made her a bit weak in the knees. Ana blamed his sparkling gray eyes...

After his brain registered Ana's words, she guessed he was satisfied with her answer.

Christian grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly." I will see you later, okay?' he promised and strode away with huge steps in the direction where his two colleagues went.

As a sigh escaped her lips, Ana walked to her car and slid behind the wheel. Suddenly she saw a man standing in front of her car looking at her like he wanted to attack her. Ana's hand instantly pushed the button, locking up all 4 doors and windows.

"Tell _**Grey** _ it's payback time!" the creep threatened, while looking at Ana with pale, lifeless eyes, making a chill go up and down her spine.

Ana trembled at hearing those bone-chilling words, afraid of what he might do to her.

No... what was **_that_ ** in his hand?!

Oh, God...

* * *

 **Note:** **So... tell me what you think of the chap?**

 _ **Leave me a review, short or long? ;)**_ _ **Thanks in advance, my lovely readers.**_

 _Thank you all for reading and the reviews. :)_

Till the next one,

J


	6. What does he have that I don't?

**I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **What does he have that I don't?**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

 _Ana trembled at hearing those bone-chilling words, afraid of what he might do to her._

 _No... what was **that** in his hand?!_

 _Oh, God..._

It was a knife!

He then made a sick gesture with his hand; with his forefinger he traced his neck from left to right! Ana knew what that meant and instantly turned the ignition of the car, her hands trembling heavily, almost unable to start said car.

At that moment, the psycho looked her dead in the eye. Ana was terrified, but fortunately she was able to get the car running. She instantly stepped on the gas pedal and drove as fast as she could, away from the creep.

Looking through her rear view mirror, Ana noticed that the psycho stood at the same spot. She let out the breath that she had been holding, relieved that he did not follow her, glad that she got away from that lunatic!

Ana knew she had to call Christian and tell him about the incident, but at the moment she was too shocked to do so. When she arrived at work, she avoided her employees and went straight to her office. But Kate, Ana's assistant, knocked on her office door anyway.

"Come in." Ana said, while typing on her laptop.

"Ana?" she said, and walked into the office." Are you alright, hon?"

Ana looked up and gave her assistant a small smile." Yeah, I'm OK." She replied, her voice a bit shaky.

Kate furrowed her brows." Are you sure?" she asked, and shut the door behind her." You look… distraught. Like something awful just happened to you..."

Ana nervously ran her fingers through her locks, and then nodded." I'm fine, Kate… really." She replied, and changed the subject." Are there any new messages for me?"

Kate wasn't quite convinced that everything was fine, but decided not to press the matter.

"Uhmm… your parents and Luke have been calling you non-stop." she announced." They're worried about you, Ana…"

At hearing that, she instantly checked her phone.

"Thanks, Kate. I will call them later," Ana said." If that's all, I would like to get to work now…"

Her assistant nodded, and gave Ana a worried look. However, after a few moments Kate reluctantly walked out the office, shutting the door behind her.

As Ana's eyes landed on her phone once more, she saw that there were more than 12 missed calls and several text messages from Luke.

The moment she was alone in the office, Ana got up from her seat and sank onto her couch, placing her hands over her face.

As a sigh escaped her lips, she put her phone on silent, because Ana didn't want to be disturbed by her parents or Luke. She was still shaking like a leaf, attempting with all her might to forget about that lunatic who threatened her. Miraculously, after a little while Ana got very sleepy though and felt her eyes slowly fluttering shut.

The exhaustion and the recent events had taken its toll on her body and mind. It was then, when Ana drifted off into a restless slumber.

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

At the moment, Christian and his colleagues were working on the murder case. Jose worked on the lead they had, while Taylor and Christian went to the morgue once more. They received more details about the murder victim from the medical examiner. That led Christian and Taylor to the employee of the victim. They arrested him, but not before making them run first. Finally, Taylor was able to grab the suspect and they brought him in.

Taylor and Christian interrogated the man for an hour and a half, but the evidence against him was circumstantial. And because of that, the suspect's lawyer told/forced Christian to let her client go...

Frustrated, Christian walked out of the interrogation room and strode into his office. Earlier that day, when Ana was in his office, they also received a call from a man Christian put into jail several years ago.

Jack Hyde was his name...

Christian was still a uniformed officer back then and wasn't a detective yet. Hyde was a drugs dealer and sold his stuff to kids in college and in clubs.

During the phone conversation, Hyde was threatening Christian's colleagues and him. Well, _especially_ Christian because he had been the one who arrested Hyde all those years ago.

Frustrated, Christian sat in his chair and groaned aloud, muttering under his breath." This case is **_so_ ** freaking hard to solve!"

And if _that_ wasn't enough, he had a psycho to deal with who was out for revenge. Arghh! While sitting behind his desk, Christian closed his eyes and tried to relax. He and his colleagues had so much to deal with, making it seem as if the day had flown by extremely fast.

It was 5 PM already, but Christian didn't want to go home yet. This case was impossible! But then he remembered Ana.

'Gosh, she looked _so_ lost when I last saw her this morning.' Was what he thought.

She had put on a brave face and tried to convince him that she was going to be okay. However, Ana was clearly not being honest at the time. But Christian knew she only told that lie, so he could leave and do his job.

This morning he promised Ana that he would call her, so Christian grabbed his cell phone. And just as he was about to dial her number, his phone began to ring loudly.

He answered the call. It was Ana!

"Hello." He said, a smile playing at his lips.

"Christian? Uhmm… I'm at the photo studio right now." She said, her voice sounding on edge.

"Ana, what's wrong?!" Christian asked, his brows scrunched together.

"Uhmm… can you please come over? I uhmm… I need you, Christian." Was what she told him.

Without hesitation Christian nodded and said. "Don't go anywhere, OK? I'll be there right away…"

"OK, I'll be here." She replied, and hung up the phone.

Before walking out his office, Christian grabbed his jacket and keys, grasping said car keys swiftly from his desk.

He then asked Taylor and Jose to work on the case further, telling them that he urgently had to do something important. Taylor promised to call Christian, as soon as they had discovered something that could help solve this difficult murder case.

At that, Christian walked out the Precinct and slid behind the wheel of his car. He drove to the address Ana had given him via text and threw a quick glance at his watch. It was 5:45 PM already, when he arrived at the photo studio. He stepped out of the car and knocked on the door.

Ana swung the door open, and Christian noticed immediately that something was wrong. She looked distraught; he even saw fear in her eyes… she was _terrified_.

They walked into her office and sat on her couch. Christian observed Ana and noticed how she was attempting to push back her tears.

"Ana? What's the matter?" he asked, genuinely concerned about her.

She turned her face the other way instead, and cleared her throat, still not saying anything to him.

"Hey, what's wrong Ana?" he asked, and then gently cupped her cheek with one hand and turned her face towards his.

Ana shook her head and told him everything about what happened this morning after she left the Precinct.

Christian was outraged and growled." I'm so going to _kill_ that psycho!"

From her description he knew instantly that it was Jack Hyde...

Shit!

How dare he! Hyde not only threatened Christian and the others, but he also threatened Ana!

He was very angry about it, and decided to call Taylor. He told his partner what had happened this morning to Ana.

"We have to do something about Hyde! Right now, Taylor!" Christian hissed, while clenching his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Taylor promised to tell Jose and he planned on tracking down Hyde right away.

After he ended the phone conversation with his colleague, Christian took a deep breath and locked eyes with Ana.

She had been silently sitting on her couch the whole time, and waited patiently. Christian then stood in front of her, and gave Ana an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry, Ana… that you got mixed up in all of _this_ …" he pointed out." I want you to know that we _**will**_ find that psycho and I'll make sure he regrets what he has done to you…"

After saying that, Christian paced Ana's office like a mad man, waiting impatiently till he heard from Taylor. At a certain point Ana couldn't bear the suspense any longer, so she got up from her seat and attempted to calm him down.

"I'm fine now, Christian… really." She told him, while looking at him with pleading eyes. "Please, calm down... just a little bit. Maybe take a seat?"

Christian wasn't convinced that Ana was doing fine right now, but eventually calmed down a bit, still clenching his hands into fists.

"Why would that awful man even threaten _me_ , Christian? He doesn't even know _me_!" Ana asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Christian sighed deeply at that. "He probably was outside the Police station, stalking me when he saw you with me this morning, Ana." He explained, while trying very hard not to lose it. "We talked for a couple of minutes in front of the Precinct, remember? I guess, Hyde then followed you after he saw me leave to meet with the others."

While Christian watched the expression on Ana's gorgeous face, he felt extremely guilty for dragging her into his messed up life.

"I'm really sorry for dragging you into all of this, Ana. I really am." Christian apologized once more, and grabbed her hand, and squeezed it lightly.

Ana looked at him, and cleared her throat." I feel _so_ much better now that you're here, Christian." She replied, and gave him a small smile.

As those words reached his ears, Christian's heart swelled gloriously. They gazed into each other's eyes, while in those moments the world around them faded away completely…

At one point, he got _so_ lost in those beautiful orbs of hers, unable to stop himself from doing what he wanted to do the night before, in her father's library.

Christian really couldn't stop himself, the invisible force pushing him towards that gorgeous creature…

So… he slowly brought his hand towards Ana's face and caressed her left cheek with his right hand. Christian took his time and traced her cheek slowly, _very_ slowly to make the feeling last longer. And like he had imagined, the moment his fingers collided with her delicate skin, Ana's eyes automatically fluttered shut…

But like this morning, _off_ _course_ someone _**had**_ to disturb them.

Her phone rang, making Ana open her eyes in an instant. She grabbed it from her desk, and looked at the display.

"It's Luke…" Were the words that tumbled from her pretty lips right then…

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

When Ana saw Luke's number on the display, she wanted to scream. She wasn't ready to face him yet… Ana was planning on giving him a huge piece of her mind!

'How dare he believe Harvey over me!' was what bounced inside her skull, her small hand clenching her phone.

Luke and Ana's parents had a lot of explaining to do.

She then looked up from her phone and locked eyes with Christian.

He was looking worried at her, his brows furrowing…

'Gosh, he was so sweet to be concerned about my well-being.' she thought, and couldn't help but smile.

Even after Ana found out that he had a stalker, she was very glad that she had met Christian…

He didn't judge her or force her to tell him why she came to him, broken and sobbing like a little kid. It's a good thing though, because Ana didn't think she was ready yet to tell anyone else about Harvey and that poor teenage girl. Plus, the fact that her parents and Luke had betrayed her…

"Everything OK, Ana?" Christian asked her.

She let out a deep breath, and nodded. "Uhmm… well, yeah… everything's fine." Ana replied. "I'm gonna meet up with Luke…"

She then texted her boyfriend and wrote that she wanted to speak with him. Luke immediately texted her back, and gave her the address of the restaurant.

When she was done, Christian locked eyes with Ana again. "Are you ready to go? I'll drop you off if you want." He offered without blinking or thinking about it first.

Ana nodded. "Yes, I'd like that." She replied, and smiled at him.

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

As she sat in Christian's car, Ana contemplated what she was going to say to Luke. She really had no idea… Ana had no clue how she was going to bring up what she heard this morning.

Should she just tell him that he was an ass for believing Harvey over his own girlfriend?!

Hmmm… that sounds like a plan. Or not? Ana wasn't sure...

Luke had known about the incident with the teenage girl, and yet he never ever, not even once mentioned it to her… But why?!

Why would he omit such an awful thing? She had to know… Ana decided then to ask Luke why he kept that to himself.

As a sigh escaped her lips, Ana looked at the man who was sitting next to her… the man with sparkling gray eyes…

Christian was such a mystery to her. Ana still wondered why she had those 'memories' with him in it. However, she was too afraid to tell him about it.

Come on! She just met Christian— who was really nice to her BTW, and she didn't want to scare him away by telling him that she and him used to be married in a previous life…

Well, Ana could imagine how that conversation would go: 'Uhmm, Christian. Do you know that you used to be my husband in another lifetime?'

He would furrow his brows, and then put his palm on her forehead.' Are you feeling OK, Ana?' he would say, and wonder if she had gone insane.

So… noooo, Ana was most definitely _**not** _ going to ask Christian or tell him about her so called memories…

However, Ana couldn't help but wonder about them. These 'memories' came to her, since she had met Christian.

Ana wondered if he was the reason that she all of a sudden remembered what happened to the teenage girl…

Besides triggering memories of her previous life, Ana had a _**feeling**_ that Christian also triggered her memory of 15 years ago…

Harvey touching her on her wrist the night before, wasn't what had triggered it… she was certain of **_that_**. How come?

Well, Ana remembers how Harvey used to touch her on her arm or nose, when she was younger… And _not_ once did those touches trigger her memory of him grabbing that poor teenage girl.

Conclusion: maybe it had something to do with Christian? Was her meeting him, the trigger to all these memories?

At one point Ana shook her head, because all those questions were giving her a major head ache!

She had only questions, but not one single answer…

It was then, when Ana attempted to think about something else… yup, that psycho! He was still out there…

Christian had promised Ana that Hyde was all talk and no actions. Christian told her that Hyde did things to scare people, but he didn't have the guts to physically hurt someone.

The coward!

In the past, his crimes consisted of selling drugs and nothing more. Ana was still terrified though. However, she didn't want to worry about it too much.

In her opinion, everything that was dark in her life at the moment, turned bright because of this gray-eyed man named Christian Grey...

While he drove, Christian turned his face to look at her every now and then. "Are you doing OK, Ana? To be honest, you look extremely pale right now…" he pointed out, and gave her a worried look." Do you want me to go with you?"

She shook her head at that. "I'm fine, Christian… really." Ana replied, and smiled at him. "And I'm a big girl, you know… I **_can_ ** handle my own boyfriend."

Just his piercing gaze on her, and the way he was concerned of her well-being, made Ana's tummy do summersaults, the feeling indescribably good…

Even after she tried convincing him that she was doing fine, Christian would scrunch his brows together, not telling Ana with words that he _still_ was worried about her.

Gosh… knowing that he cared made Ana's knees turn into jelly, her heart swelling gloriously inside her chest...

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

"So… thank you very much for the ride, Christian." Ana said, when he had parked the car in front of the restaurant.

"You're welcome, Ana…" he replied.

Ana was just about to step out of the car, when Christian gently placed a hand on her wrist. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you? I don't know what's going on with you two, but you look kind of afraid to go." he pointed out, his voice so sincere. "Really... it's no big deal, I can go with you, Ana..."

As those words reached her ears, Ana smiled at him. "No Christian… this is something I really have to do by _myself_."

He nodded at that. "I'm just one call away, Ana… remember that, OK?"

She smiled, and squeezed his hand lightly. "I will remember… I won't forget, Christian. Promise." He heard Ana say.

She then let go of his hand, and stepped out of the car.

"I'll call you soon, OK?" Ana promised.

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

Ana almost stumbled, when she stepped inside the restaurant, utterly dreading what was to come.

As she walked towards him, Ana decided then to give Luke another chance. ' _ **If**_ he had a good explanation about not telling me about Harvey and that teenage girl, plus _if_ he would apologize over and over.' She thought.

After everything, she still felt that she needed Luke…

Why? Ana wasn't sure really…

From a short distance, she saw Luke sitting at his favorite spot in this restaurant. The moment she reached him, he looked up and his body tensed a bit.

"Take a seat, Ana…" Luke said, so she nodded.

After Ana had taken a seat across from Luke, he called the waitress and they ordered their food.

However, the second said waitress walked away, Luke attacked Ana with the most cruel words. "Your parents and I were worried sick about you! Where were you, Ana? What did you do? You are so _**selfish**_ …" he hissed, and glared at her. "After what happened with Harvey, you disappeared on us! Don't you know your parents asked me to go to the Police station to give you up as a missing person?"

Ana was taken aback by Luke's harsh words, and stared up at him. But then she recovered, and threw daggers with her eyes at him. "Seriously, Luke?" she snapped." You are gonna sit there and attack **_me_** , and expect me to not defend myself? Let me ask you this! Why do you believe Harve…"

But Luke mercilessly cut her off. "I went to the Police Station, because I was worried, and what do I see? You in front of the Precinct talking and smiling at that detective guy! What is it, Ana? Tell me! Are you having an affair with him?!" he growled, his hands trembling from anger. "I bet you were lying, when you told me that you just met the guy two nights ago. How long have you known him, Ana? It's months, isn't it?! Are you cheating on me with a poor guy who can't give you shit?!"

"Stop it!" Ana shouted, while tears pooled in her pretty eyes. "Just stop it, Luke! How dare you insult Christian! And more importantly… how dare you think of me so low! I'm not cheating on you, and I haven't been lying to you!"

Luke heard what she said, and yet he went on, his jealousy taking over him completely. "Ana, I can give you the world, if you just would ask me. He doesn't even belong in our circle of people. Do you really think your dad will allow you to be with him?!" he spat, while standing up." I know that he won't. Your parents won't agree on it! Did you **_have_ _sex_ ** with him?! And was he any _**good**?_ "

As those cruel words reached her ears, Ana couldn't take it any longer… this was way too much! Without hesitation, she got on her feet and slapped Luke on his cheek with such a force, the sound echoing in the restaurant.

Everyone in said restaurant was looking at them with wide eyes…

"How dare you!" she said, her voice low, while her chest heaved dangerously, tears spilling from her eyes.

In that moment, Luke realized that he went too far, and began caressing his cheek that felt like it was on fire, caused by Ana's hand.

He wanted to apologize to her then. However, his jealousy and pride came first. Luke then asked, still caressing his cheek. "Tell me one thing, Ana… what does he have that I don't possess?"

Ana couldn't believe her ears, as she watched him.

Was this her Luke? Luke Sawyer?! Who was this man standing in front of her?!

This was the man Ana was supposed to spend the rest of her life with? A man who was so jealous that he can't see her just talking with another man? A man who was such a big snob?! A man who kept things from her?! A man who had betrayed her by saying that she made that story up about Harvey, grabbing that poor defenseless girl? A man who doesn't know her at all?!

When she agreed to have a talk with Luke, Ana thought he and her still had a chance to work things out. But now she realizes that they have been **_over_** a while ago…

With pain in her heart and while tears spilled from her eyes, Ana decided then that she was done with Luke…

She cleared her throat, and grabbed her bag. "Bye, Luke. I hope I **_never_ ** see you again." Ana remarked, and turned on her heel.

But just as she was about to walk away, Ana turned to face him once more." You _really_ want to know what he has, that you don't, Luke?" she asked." _Heart_ … Christian has _heart_."

With that, Ana turned her face and walked away from the man she _**thought**_ that she knew...

* * *

 **Note: You go, girl! (Ana)**

 **Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. :)**

What do you think of this chap?

Leave a review, short or long... ;)

Till the next one,

 **J**


	7. He will get through this!

**I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **He will get through this!**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

 _But just as she was about to walk away, Ana turned to face him once more." You really want to know what he has, that you don't, Luke?" she asked." Heart… Christian has heart."_

 _With that, Ana turned her face and walked away from the man she **thought** that she knew..._

xxx

With a heavy heart, Christian dropped Ana off at the restaurant. Just as he was about to drive away, he received a call from Taylor. They had enough evidence to arrest and convict the victim's employee, Adam Holden.

He also told Christian that the suspect was on the run and was planning to leave the country. Taylor was already on his way to the airport to prevent Holden from fleeing.

"OK, you go first, but wait for me when you've arrived. I'm heading there too." Christian had told his colleague, and then ended the phone conversation.

Back-up was also on their way, Taylor had told him.

When Christian arrived at the airport, he had his gun and badge ready. He called Jose, as he walked inside.

It only took one ring, when Jose answered his phone. "Taylor and I just watched the security camera footage… Holden is now standing in line about to board the plane, Grey." He pointed out. "How do you wanna handle this?"

While walking with huge strides, Christian said. "We are going to corner him and then take him down, OK?"

Jose agreed on that." OK, but the suspect is probably armed, Grey." he remarked. "Taylor found a receipt for a gun in Holden's apartment this afternoon."

Christian sighed at that. "Be extra cautious, you two. I'll do the same." He warned. "We do not want civilians to get hurt... be very careful."

"Will do…" He heard Jose say, and hung up the phone.

As Christian reached the spot where Holden was seen last, he took in his surroundings…

His eyes darted around, in search of the suspect. In his opinion, the airport was extra crowded today, so he didn't see Holden right away.

After a few minutes though, Christian had Holden in his sight and cautiously walked towards him. He saw Jose and Taylor on the other side, and motioned them to wait.

At a certain point the suspect had seen Taylor and turned around planning to run from him.

However, Christian stood a few feet away and pulled his gun from its holder.

Holden saw him too, and began to panic.

Christian noticed it, as he watched him. The suspect's whole body was trembling out of nervousness. Holden realized then that he was trapped by Christian and the others, and stood still, his hands clenched into fists.

While closing the gap between them, Christian kept his eyes locked on the suspect. "It's over, Holden. You've got nowhere to run." He pointed out, his voice calm." You better give yourself up. We've got the place surrounded."

The suspect began to laugh hysterically and pulled out his gun. The crowd began to panic and ran for their lives, away from the lunatic with the gun.

"Drop the gun, Holden!" Taylor shouted behind him. "We don't want anyone getting hurt."

Christian was on high alert, and said. "Drop it, Holden!"

However, instead of doing as they instructed, the suspect laughed hysterically and was swinging the weapon around. "I cannot go to jail!" Holden told them. "I won't survive prison life… I'd rather die than go there!"

Taylor and Christian attempted to calm the suspect down, but it was no use. Holden kept acting recklessly and then pointed the gun at his own temple.

Christian shook his head. "Don't do it, Holden… put down the weapon." However, he didn't listen to him, and instead the suspect ran.

Taylor wanted to shoot, but Christian told him not to.

As they stormed after Holden, all of a sudden the suspect stopped in his tracks and had grabbed a lost little girl!

Holden used her as a shield to protect himself.

"Let her go!" Christian and the others demanded, but Holden shook his head instead.

"I cannot go to prison!" the suspect shouted, while he trembled, the gun pointed at the kid.

The girl sobbed loudly, and was scared out of her mind!

"Leave the girl out of this!" Christian demanded, but Holden kept the gun pointed at her head.

"No!" he shouted, his voice shaky, while he nervously gripped the girl harshly.

Christian watched in horror, and just wanted one thing at that very moment… he wanted to prevent the little girl from getting hurt.

From all the cops there, Christian was the closest to Holden and the girl.

It was then, when he decided to take the risk. "Holden! Let's trade!" Christian said calmly. "Me for the girl!"

Taylor and Jose shook their heads at that. "Grey don't!" they shouted, but Christian had already lowered his weapon.

At that point, the suspect was panicking still, his body shaking like a leaf. He looked so desperate and seemed terrified.

"Come on! Trade her for me!" Christian repeated, and walked closer towards the suspect.

Holden laughed nervously at that. "No!"

Taylor and Jose protested once more. "Grey! Don't!" Taylor said, but Christian ignored his colleagues.

He just couldn't bear it if the little girl got hurt, so Christian dropped his gun and put his hands behind his back. He then dropped to his knees, and looked up and locked eyes with the suspect. "Come on, let the innocent girl go… I know you don't want to hurt her…"

When he saw Christian like that without a weapon, Holden hesitated for a second and then let go of the girl.

Jose immediately grabbed her and brought her to safety.

Then Holden stood behind Christian and told him to get on his feet.

Christian did as he ordered, and slowly stood up. And it was then, when Christian decided to grab the gun from the suspect.

'I'm stronger and faster than him.' Christian thought, plus he noticed how nervous Holden was…

As the both of them struggled for the weapon, they also fought each other.

"Shoot him!" Jose shouted at Taylor from a short distance.

Taylor shook his head. "I don't have a clean shot!" he remarked. "Fuck!"

In the next moment, everyone there heard two shots fired…

Holden was lying dead on the floor.

Christian was also lying on the cold, hard floor… and Oh God, he was bleeding out.

As he realized that he was shot, Christian put a hand on his gun shut wound…

In a blink, Taylor and Jose were kneeling next to him with worried faces.

"Hold on, Grey!" they both said. "Stay with us, OK! Help is on the way…"

Christian assumed that someone had called for an ambulance.

He looked weakly up at his colleagues, noticing how their eyes were shiny. They both had sad faces, so Christian attempted to lighten up their mood. (Even in his state)

The pain he felt was excruciating, and he had trouble breathing! And yet he smiled through his tears. "Do… don't w… worry 'bout me… cause th… the girl is s… safe, right…" Christian whispered, and gasped for air.

Taylor nodded. "Yeah, buddy… the little girl is with her mom." He told Christian, his voice trembling. "She's safe… you saved her…"

Then all of a sudden, Christian didn't hear the sounds anymore and eventually it went dark before his very eyes…

"Stay with us, Grey!" Taylor shouted, and grabbed his hand.

But no matter what he did, Christian kept his eyes closed and wouldn't budge…

Taylor and Jose watched in horror at him. He was lying on the cold, hard floor in a pool of his own blood…

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

As Ana walked away from the restaurant, after breaking up with Luke, she felt so relieved. She had finally done it. With little words Ana had told Luke that things between them were over.

It hadn't been an easy thing to do, but he left her no choice. She couldn't be with a man, who had treated her and her friend like dirt.

While walking through the City, Ana had time to think about her life. She thought about which path she just had left behind and was excited what lay ahead…

Unintentionally, her mind lingered on that gray-eyed, nice and caring man that she met not long ago. It would be amazing if she would meet him down this new 'path' that she had chosen today.

Correction; It would be pretty incredible…

Even if she could just call him her friend, Ana would be more than happy with it.

As a sigh escaped her lips, Ana wondered why Christian had become important to her. It's like she knew him very well. That's very odd, considering she just met him a few days ago…

Ana still hadn't figured out how it was possible that she had 'memories' of him and her together.

As those thoughts bounced around her head, Ana noticed that it was getting dark out. She decided then to call a taxi and head home.

However, she wanted to call Christian first…

As Ana waited for him to pick up his phone, she took a seat on a bench in the park. Luckily she wasn't on her feet, when someone answered Christian's phone.

Why? It wasn't him who picked up… it was someone else who was about to give her very bad news...

"Hello, Christian?"

"No, sorry Miss. My name is Taylor." She heard the voice say from the other side of the line.

It was his colleague. In her opinion, he sounded very distraught, his voice trembling slightly, as if he was about to break down any minute.

"Oh, sorry… Hi Mr. Taylor." She said, her brows scrunched together. "Can I speak with Christian, please?"

"Uhmm, sorry Miss. He can't come to the phone right now." He commented.

"Okay, I understand. But when Christian has the chance, can you please tell him to call me? My name is Anastasia Steele…" she requested.

But then he said. "Wait… Ana Steele? Are you the young lady he was talking about? That uhmm Hyde had threatened you too?"

At that moment, her gut told her that something was horribly wrong. Frightened, Ana asked. "Yes, I am her. Is there something wrong? Am I in danger?"

At that, Ana heard him sigh deeply. "No, miss Steele. You are not in any danger right now, but I have some really bad news about Christian." He told her, and then paused for a moment.

That made Ana more nervous than she already was. "Tell me, please?" she asked, her voice trembling heavily, while she clenched her phone tightly.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Christian has been shot and is badly injured." Ana heard him say, his voice shaky. "He's in the operating room at this very moment, Miss."

As those words reached her ears, Ana felt extremely nauseous. All of a sudden she had trouble breathing. At that moment Ana felt her heart ache, the gnawing pain so overwhelming. "Tell me which hospital, please?" she asked, so Taylor told her.

They ended the phone conversation, and then Ana instantly hailed a cab and jumped inside. She told the driver to go to the hospital as fast as he could.

xxx

When Ana arrived at the hospital, it seemed to her that everything went by in slow motion. She saw his colleagues and waited with them for 5 agonizing hours in the waiting room...

Although to Ana it seemed like more than ten. Christian was still in a very critical state, his life in the hands of the surgeons at this hospital. From what she's heard, they were supposed to be the very best in their field. And yet, Ana couldn't help it... She was worried out of her mind for Christian's life.

You may never know what could go wrong during a surgery. The only thing that kept Ana from losing it, were his colleagues/ friends and his mother. While they waited, Taylor had introduced Ana to Christian's mom. She was a very nice woman, in Ana's opinion. And in appearance, Christian looked just like her...

As both women sat next to one another, they began to talk. It was then, when Ana told Grace how she met her son.

"He saved my life, Mrs. Grey." Ana said with trembling lips. "I'm forever in his debt..."

Grace nodded, while tears pooled in her eyes. "That's him alright... my son always does things to make me proud. I'm a lucky mom, you know... "She told Ana.

The two of them mostly spoke about Christian and his job. After barely 30 minutes, Ana felt as if she and Christian's mother had been friends for a while.

So weird, but that's how she felt... Grace was so easy to talk to.

It was in that moment that Ana felt a tug at her heart... Her own mother loved her and she knew that. However, Ana felt that at times her mom acted reserved towards her.

Why?! Ana honestly had no clue...

She was taken out of her thoughts by a phone ringing annoyingly.

"Oh, excuse me..." Jose said and answered the call.

At that, Taylor said. "Aww... I bet it's his best girl. Look at him... so freaking in love..."

Grace smiled, when Ana looked at her curiously. "Jose just got engaged three weeks ago." Christian's mom explained to Ana. "He hasn't decided yet who to choose to be his best man: Christian or Taylor over here..."

Ana nodded. "Awww... you're right, Taylor... look at him." she commented. "His eyes are sparkling like stars."

When Jose returned and sat in his seat again, Grace asked him how his fiance was doing. After that, they talked mostly about Jose's wedding... Where he was going to get married, which date he and Kimberly had chosen, and everything that revolved around a normal wedding.

As Ana observed the three people who waited in the waiting room with her, she felt as if she belonged with Christian's little 'family'.

Not once did any of them make her feel as if she wasn't welcome. All three of them were extremely nice to her. At a certain point Ana had to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat.

Christian was so blessed for having these three wonderful human beings in his life...

She liked Taylor and Jose so much and found them to be Christian's true friends. They made sure his mom and Ana received all the support, and brought the two women food and everything they needed as they waited for the surgeons. Ana admired Christian's mom for being so strong in a difficult time like this. It must be horrific for Grace right now, and yet she hasn't faltered after waiting for almost 5 hours.

However, at a certain point Grace was unable to keep her composure, and broke down and began to sob. "I ca... can't... I wouldn't know what I would do, if Chris... if Christian doesn't ma..." She began, but was unable to finish her sentence, making Ana's heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

At that very moment, Grace looked so broken and inconsolable. Ana grabbed her hand, and squeezed it lightly, wanting to comfort her but was unable to do so.

It all was too overwhelming for Ana...

"I can't stand it anymore!" Grace desperately said, as a loud sob escaped her lips. " I cannot sit in this waiting room any longer..."

Taylor walked over to her, and tried giving Grace a pep talk. He then asked if she wanted to get some fresh air...

"Yes, I'd like that..." She replied, so he escorted Christian's mother out the hospital for some fresh air.

As Ana sat next to Jose in the waiting room, she thought about Christian. At that moment, she knew why he was such a nice guy.

He got that from his mom... It made Ana smile and almost sob at the same time.

"Miss, do you need anything else?" Ana heard Jose ask, taking her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head, and smiled at him. "No, I'm fine." she replied. "Thank you for asking though."

He smiled sincerely at her, and promised. "Don't you worry, Miss. Christian is a very strong guy. He'll get through this."

As those words reached her ears, Ana nodded. She couldn't help it and also began shedding her tears. "Yes, I also have a feeling that he will..."

Jose then got up from his seat, and went to grab Ana a bottle of water and tissue so she could wipe her tears away.

"Thank you so much..." She said, and smiled through her tears. "Christian sure has some amazing friends."

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

After 5 agonizing hours, the surgeon finally walked out of the operating room. She walked towards Christian's mom and said. " The operation went pretty well. Now we can only wait for your son to come back to us. It will take time, but he has a good chance to recover fully. He's stable for now..."

When those words tumbled from her lips, they all sighed in relief. Grace smiled through her tears and hugged all three of them.

They waited 5 full hours, and finally received some positive news...

"Can we see him, doctor?" Grace asked, her voice shaky.

"Only family, Mrs. Grey." the doctor replied, and walked away.

Grace was happy to hear that and turned her face towards Ana. " What are you gonna do, dear? Are you going to stay?"

She shook her head. "No... you go, Grace... and tell him hi for me." Ana replied. "I'm glad that he's gonna be OK. I have to head back home now..."

Grace nodded, and squeezed Ana's hand. Then she walked with Jose in the direction of Christian's hospital room.

Ana greeted Taylor, and began walking away, happy that Christian had a very good chance to recover fully.

But just as she was about to step into the elevator, someone called out to her. Ana turned around and saw that it was Taylor. " So, we will see you tomorrow? I'm sure you would want to visit Christian, while he's in here?"

Ana nodded and said. "Of course... see you guys tomorrow."

"Do you need a ride home, Miss?" Taylor then asked.

Ana hesitated, but then agreed after a few moments. "I'd like that... to be honest, I'm really exhausted right now."

"Let's go then." Taylor said, and smiled at her.

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

During the drive home, Ana found out that Taylor was married and had twins. He told Ana that he and Jose often teased Christian about women. She smiled and thought about how lucky Christian was to have friends like Taylor and Jose.

Before Ana stepped out of his car, Taylor had given her Jose's and his own phone number in case she needed one of them.

"Thank you and see you tomorrow." Ana said, before he drove away.

"Tomorrow then." he replied, and nodded. "Hyde is still out there, you know... if you need anything, please do not hesitate to call Jose or me, OK?"

"Don't worry... I will call you or Jose if something came up." Ana promised.

Taylor said good night, and then drove away.

xxx

Ana arrived in her penthouse apartment around 1 AM, and was exhausted. She barely was able to reach her bathroom, and took a quick warm shower. Then she immediately jumped into her king-sized bed. The moment her head hit the pillow, she went to dreamland.

The next morning, Ana was awoken by her phone ringing a little after 10. She picked up and heard Kate on the other line.

"Ana, where the hell have you been?!" She shouted in her ear.

"Kate..." Ana said. "Don't talk so loudly, please? I'm gonna be at work in an hour or so, OK?"

"Good!" She replied. "One of our biggest clients has been calling and asking for you... so hurry, OK?"

"I'm gonna get ready first... hold your horses! I'll be there in a blink of an eye." Ana replied, and lazily got out of bed.

"Hurry!" her assistant repeated.

"I'm already walking towards my shower... bye, Kate..." Ana remarked, and hung up the phone.

xxx

The moment she arrived in her photo studio, Ana immediately called her client and then she and Kate worked non-stop till 4 PM. Fortunately Ana was able to meet the deadline, both of them relieved and happy about that.

After finishing up, Ana walked into her office to grab her handbag and phone, before heading out.

It was then, when her phone rang. She looked at the display and saw her mom's number on it.

Crap...

After taking in and letting out a few breaths, Ana picked up her phone.

Her mom immediately asked her why she had broken up with Luke.

"Your father and I want to have a conversation with you about Luke, Ana." her mom told her.

"Mom, Luke and I aren't together anymore, OK?" Ana replied, then gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"Come on, honey..." her mom said. "Give your relationship with Luke another shot."

Her mom kept pressing the matter, but Ana got so fed up with how her mother attempted to force her to get back with Luke.

"Stop it, mom. Please? It's over between him and me, OK?" Ana said. "Please accept that."

Her mom got very angry and demanded of Ana to come to the villa right away.

Ana huffed at that, and gripped her phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white in the process. "You wanna talk, mom? Really? OK, I will come over to your house, when you and dad have an explanation for me regarding my memory of 15 years ago." she told her mom. "Why was my memory of that day erased and who did it? Can you tell me that?"

After those words had tumbled from Ana's lips though, her mom was very quiet, unable to give her an answer.

So that's when Ana said that she had to go. She greeted her mom and ended the conversation.

As tears spilled from her eyes, Ana plopped herself down on her couch and then closed her eyes for a while.

She was so upset about her parents and their secrets. Ana honestly didn't know what to do about it anymore.

She really had no clue...

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

After resting for a bit, Ana closed up the studio and bought some flowers first at the flower shop.

She couldn't wait to get to the hospital, and see the others. She then slid behind the wheel of her convertible and drove straight to the hospital.

With the flowers in her hands, Ana waited outside the hospital room. The nurse was giving Christian his medicine, so she waited in the hall. Ana was so scared to see him, because she didn't know what to expect. Before he had been shot, she always looked at his sparkling, gray eyes. But this time Ana will look at him, while his eyes were closed.

It was terrifying, to be honest...

When the nurse had done her job, Ana walked inside his room with a huge lump in her throat.

At the moment only family members were allowed to see Christian, so Grace lied and had told the nurse that Ana was indeed family...

"Ana is my son's girlfriend..." she told the nurse, making Ana blush instantly...

So... here she was, walking inside the hospital room.

Ana felt her heart explode in her chest, the moment her eyes landed on Christian.

It was him, but not him at the same time. His lips were pale and so was his whole face. The tears automatically rolled down her cheeks, while Ana stood next to his bed.

She kept her eyes locked on his handsome face, and prayed for him to recover fast. As her eyes fluttered shut, Ana thought about how they first met and smiled through her tears.

"You will be fine, Christian." She whispered, and grabbed his hand. "You are strong..."

 **~ One week later ~**

After visiting Christian for a whole week at the hospital, Ana received a phone call.

It was 11 AM and she was at the photo studio busy with one of her biggest clients. They were discussing how much he was willing to pay her for a certain job.

All of a sudden, Ana had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach... Something was wrong!

She gasped softly, and shut her eyes tightly.

"Christian..." Ana uttered, while her eyes fluttered open.

She then apologized to the client and excused herself from the meeting.

She was just about to call Taylor, when her phone rang!

As her eyes landed on the display, Ana saw that it was Taylor's number.

With trembling fingers she answered her phone, while her heart pounded wildly against her rib cage...

"Hello?" Ana said.

* * *

 _ **Note: OMG... what now?!**_

 _ **Leave me a review, short or long? :)**_

 _ **Thank you for reading and reviewing, you all. I really appreciate it. :)**_

 _ **Till the next one.**_

 _ **J**_


	8. Go for it or just ignore it?

**I do not own Fifty shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **Go for it or just ignore it?**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

 _As her eyes landed on the display, Ana saw that it was Taylor's number._

 _With trembling fingers she answered her phone, while her heart pounded wildly against her rib cage..._

 _"Hello?" Ana said._

"Ana?" she heard Taylor say, the tone of his voice sounding so relieved.

That gave her hope.

As her heart thumped wildly against her chest, she replied with a small voice. "Yes?"

"He's going to be OK… and he's awake, Ana!" she heard him say. "Grey is going to be fine…"

A huge lump instantly formed in her throat, her eyes welling up, as those words reached her ears.

"I'll be there soon…" Ana promised with a shaky voice, and then ended the phone conversation.

It was hard for her to keep her emotions in check right now, but Ana fortunately managed to do so. After collecting herself, she swallowed her tears and walked with big strides in the direction of where she had left her client.

"Mr. Dawson..." Ana said, making both the client and Kate turn to look at her. "I'm so sorry, but I have a family emergency. I have to go now…"

Her client protested immediately. "Miss Steele, we need to close this deal _**today**_. I want you on the job 2 days from now." He insisted, his voice stern.

Ana looked at him apologetically, and said. "I know, and I'm very sorry, Mr. Dawson… but my assistant Kate will take it from here. You're in good hands with her."

"Ana." Kate said, while looking at her with wide eyes. "Can I speak with you in private before you go?"

Ana nodded at that. "OK, but only 5 minutes, Kate. Excuse me, Mr. Dawson… "She replied, while the both of them walked out the office and into their work space. Ana then looked at her assistant with pleading eyes. "He's awake… Christian is conscious…"

"That's great news!" Kate pointed out, and smiled. She then nodded and said. "From the look on his face, Mr. Dawson seems pissed that you're leaving... but, I'll do my very best to convince him that I'm capable too... go to Christian, Ana. I'll be fine here…"

Kate's voice was shaky, and she looked a bit scared to be left alone with Mr. Dawson. She had a good reason for that.

He was a very demanding and extremely critical old man. However, Ana had no time to waste and believed in her assistant.

'She'll manage.' Was what Ana thought, while they both walked towards her big client.

"Mr. Dawson, like I said before… my assistant Kate will take it from here." she stated and then hastily walked out the photo studio without looking back at the older gentleman.

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

Ana walked into the hospital with a bouquet of flowers in her hand. She stepped into the elevator and waited impatiently for it to reach the fifth floor. The moment the door slid open, Ana stepped out while clutching the flowers in her hand, her heart thumping fast against her chest.

Ana was terrified.

When she had reached the end of the hallway, she saw Taylor, Jose and Grace inside the hospital room.

She didn't want to intrude, so Ana decided to wait till they were done. None of them had seen her, so she took a few steps back and took a seat in a chair.

Her eyes then darted towards a man sitting in front of Christian's hospital room. Strange…

Ana was sure she had seen him before. 'Think, girl. Think!' she scolded herself mentally.

Then she remembered. He was also in the Precinct, when she went to see Christian a week ago. Yes, he was a cop.

As the wheels in her head started to turn, Ana's brows were scrunched together. But why was he here? Did Christian need protection? Was he in danger?!

She was taken out of her thoughts though, when Ana noticed Taylor walking out the hospital room.

"Hey… what are you doing all the way over here?" he asked, as he closed the gap between them. "Aren't you gonna go see him?"

Ana gave him a small smile, and got on her feet, her knees a bit shaky. "Uhmm… I was waiting for you all. "She pointed out, and then cleared her throat. "I didn't want to intrude. You all being 'family' and me being an outsider…"

Taylor shook his head at that. "You're no outsider, Ana…" he pointed out, and then stopped mid-sentence, because he noticed the tears pooling in her eyes.

"Go inside… he's been asking for you." He suggested, and awkwardly patted her upper arm attempting to comfort her.

"Uhmm, Taylor… why is that cop guarding Christian? Is he in some kind of danger?" Ana asked, genuinely concerned.

Taylor let out a deep breath, and said. "Well, not long before I called to inform you that Grey was awake, a nurse caught Hyde snooping around his hospital room.

At hearing that, Ana shook her head. "Oh, no… did he do something to Christian?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Taylor shook his head and clenched his hands into fists. "Fortunately not. The bastard!" he growled. "He wasn't able to do anything, because the nurse walked into Grey's room. Hyde immediately ran with his tail between his legs, when the nurse threatened with calling security… piece of shit!"

Taylor was beyond pissed, and continued. "That's why a cop is guarding his room… we're afraid Hyde will try again."

Ana let out deep breaths, unable to calm herself down." But he really didn't do anything to Christian, right? The doctor checked him after the incident?" she asked, her voice shaky.

Taylor nodded. "Yes, the doctor did a thorough check-up on Grey." He pointed out, and squeezed her hand. "Don't you worry, Ana. He's fine now…"

She nodded and then straightened her back. "OK, I believe it because it's you who's telling me this." She replied.

Taylor smiled. "I promise, we're keeping an eye on Grey… don't you worry."

"Thank you." Ana said, and then cleared her throat. "I'm going now."

She took a few steps in the direction of the hospital door, but then stopped in her tracks and turned her face to look at Taylor. "Are you sure his mom won't mind?" Ana asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Taylor shook his head. "You know what? Wait here…" he said, while his eyes twinkled.

Ana had spent more than a week with him in the hospital, and knew that Taylor was up to something…

She waited a few minutes, and then saw Jose, Taylor and Grace leaving the hospital room.

"Ana." Grace uttered, and hugged her tightly.

After they pulled away from the hug, Grace smiled and said. "Go on, dear… he's waiting for you…"

She nodded at that. "Wh… where are you all going?" Ana asked, while gripping the flowers tightly.

"Well, we're just gonna… you know…" Grace said, winked at Ana and then smiled widely without finishing the sentence.

"See you later!" Jose said, while the three of them walked in the direction of the elevators.

"Wait! But… but where…" Ana only manage to say, and then swallowed the huge lump in her throat.

'Man… they left me alone.' Was what she thought at that moment.

So, that was Taylor's plan all along. He wanted to give Ana some privacy with Christian… _Good man._

She was still terrified, and yet Ana walked in the direction of the hospital room. Her heart was thumping like crazy in her chest, the anticipation almost killing her.

Ana pushed the door open, and there he was…

Christian was sitting upright in the hospital bed, his grey eyes instantly locking onto hers.

And that was all it took.

The moment Ana looked into his sparkling, grey eyes, she broke down and sank to the cold, hard floor. Christian immediately got out of the bed and carefully walked to the spot where Ana was. The flowers in her hands had fallen to the floor, forgotten. The next thing she felt were his strong, warm arms wrapping gently around her frame. As loud sobs escaped her lips, her body shook heavily, making Christian whisper the sweetest things in her ear.

"Hey… I'm alright. Everything's gonna be fine now…" he promised.

At that very moment Ana felt as if a big weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

The rest didn't matter...

It didn't matter that she probably lost one of her biggest clients, it didn't matter that Luke hated her, it didn't matter that her parents were angry at her. It didn't matter that people saw the both of them sitting on the floor with her being wrapped by Christian's arms.

This was the only thing that mattered to Ana: Christian, healthy, and holding her close to him. At this very moment only _that_ mattered… and nothing else.

xxx [[[]]] xxx

 **Three weeks later...**

The day Christian heard from his doctor that he was allowed to go home, he was happy and excited with the news. Of course, Christian being Christian wanted to go back to work immediately. However, the captain and doctor both agreed and insisted that he must stay home for at least 2 weeks, before he could go back to work again.

He wasn't happy about it, but when Ana told him that she was going to visit him every day, Christian instantly was more than OK with it. He tried his very best to hide that grin that appeared on his face, but failed miserably.

Grace wanted to visit him daily, but she lived too far away from him.

"Don't worry, Grace... I'll look out for your son..." Ana had promised Christian's mom.

She was happy about it and thanked Ana over and over again, before Grace went home .

Christian's recovery was going slowly, but surely.

The past weeks Ana had been visiting him every single day at the hospital and had gotten to know Christian, Grace, Jose and Taylor very well. And in time, they all had gotten close with Ana also.

Christian had asked her once about Luke, and she had replied coolly.

"Luke is out of my life, Christian."

That was what she said to him, her voice sounding cheerful as if she was so relieved about that fact. And yet Christian saw something else also in her beautiful eyes. There was a hint of sadness in them, an emotion she attempted to hide from him. However, Christian caught it, and grabbed her hand, squeezing it lightly. "I'm so sorry that he hurt you, Ana…"

She let out a deep breath and gave him a sad smile. "I've learned the hard way that Luke isn't the one for me, Christian." Ana pointed out and looked at him with pleading eyes. "I prefer not to talk about it though…"

After she told him that, Christian decided not to press the matter and didn't bring that topic up since then.

'When the time is right, I know Ana will open up to me.' He thought at the time.' She will confide in me eventually.'

Will she though? Cause after three weeks spending time with Ana, she still hadn't spoken of her private life with him.

Well, only time will tell...

And now here Christian was with Ana in his apartment, while she washed the dishes. This evening he expected Taylor and Jose to have dinner with them, but the guys cancelled at the last minute, because they had a lead on solving their latest murder case.

While Ana talked about the photos she had taken for her big client, Mr. Dawson, Christian listened to her closely.

He loved hearing Ana talk… he liked her voice a lot.

However, at a certain point he got distracted. Ana was still telling him about the location where she had taken said photos, but Christian had a difficult time focusing on the words that tumbled from her pretty pink lips…

His eyes were locked on those magnificent lips, while she spoke.

Christian wondered right then, if Ana had gotten over her ex-boyfriend Luke.

Probably not.

She just needed more time to heal, he assumed. Ana deserved everything good in this world. _That_ , he was sure of.

And Christian wanted to be the one to give her all those good things... She deserved happiness and also love.

'I can give that to her... I'm capable of giving her love.' he thought, as he watched her tidy up the refrigerator.

Ana closed the door of the fridge with a soft thud, and looked at him, her brows furrowed. "Christian, you really need groceries. You have nothing edible left in your kitchen." She stated, and then walked over to the dining table. Ana grabbed her bag and said. "You stay here, I will do some grocery shopping for you, OK?"

Christian nodded. "OK." He said and then studied the sight of her.

Ana looked gorgeous like always. She was wearing a white summer dress, a pair of red pumps, her shiny locks cascaded over her shoulders, while framing her beautiful face, and her red rose lips looked so inviting.

'Wow.'

Christian was still nodding out of amazement, when he noticed that Ana had placed a hand on her hip.

"Christian, why are you still nodding at me?" she asked, her brows furrowed.

He heard that she had asked him something, however, his brains didn't register her words. "Huh? Uhum, what did you say just now, Ana?" Christian asked, while heat instantly spread towards his cheeks.

He was so busted! Ana had seen him gawking at her… Crap!

Christian felt embarrassed that Ana caught him and asked once more. "What did you say just now, Ana?"

Instead of answering the question, Ana raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. " Never mind, Christian. Your mind seems to be drifting off a lot these last few days."

But before Christian could reply, she laughed aloud and walked towards the front door. "I will see you in half an hour or so, 'dreamer'." She teased and winked at him.

"Be careful, Ana..." he said.

Ana nodded. "I will... don't worry about me, OK? Be right back!" she chirped, and closed the door behind her.

Well, now he was alone again...

Christian carefully took a seat on his couch, and thought about the whole 'Hyde situation'.

Taylor and his other colleagues had searched high and low for Hyde for two full weeks, after the nurse saw him in Christian's hospital room. However, Hyde was nowhere to be found... he disappeared and didn't leave a trace. He probably knew that every cop from Christian's precinct was looking for him and wanted to arrest him on sight.

After that, they all stopped searching for Hyde.

"Well, I bet he's fled the country." Christian said.

Taylor and Jose assumed he was right about that. They all knew that Hyde was 'all talk and no actions'... that was the kind of man he was.

Yes, he had been in Christian's hospital room for a few minutes. But only because he was unconscious at the time. Only then, did Hyde dare to get close to Christian...

Coward!

Christian was taken out of his thoughts though by his phone ringing loudly. He saw Ana's number on the display and smiled. "Hello, Ana. Did you forget something?"

"Grey... well, well. I have to admit. She's a feisty one!"

But the voice he heard on the other side of the line was not Ana's voice. It was someone else...

It was Hyde! Fuck!

"Hyde, don't you dare..." Christian growled into the phone.

At hearing the next words, Christian gripped his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. "Your precious Ana did not forget something. She found someone to play with." Hyde said with a menacing tone. "Will you be able to find her in time to safe her, Grey? Tick tock, tick tock. The clock is ticking away..."

He then laughed evilly and hung up the phone…

Ana… No!

 **~ At the Supermarket ~**

As Ana grabbed milk and cheese from the fridge, she had that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach once more.

It was the same feeling she had, after she had stepped out of Christian's apartment building ten minutes ago. It was an uncomfortable feeling... Ana felt as if she was being watched or something.

It was late in the evening, but she had to buy the groceries for Christian. He wasn't capable of doing it himself yet, because of his injuries.

While Ana stood in line to pay for the items in her cart, she felt a chill go up and down her spine again.

What the hell?!

She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she felt as if someone was following her. As Ana's eyes darted around, trying to catch someone who acted suspicious, she only noticed a mom with her toddler, an older man in khaki shorts and a group of teenagers hanging around the magazine section of the Supermarket.

'OK, there's no one suspicious. Must be just my active imagination then.' was what bounced inside her skull at that moment.

She was just imagining things, Ana decided.

After that, Ana's mind drifted off... She hadn't seen her parents for almost a whole month now. Ana had called them three times and invited them to come over, so they could tell her about what had happened 15 years ago. However, every time her mom had an excuse not to come...

So, Ana let it go... For now.

And then there's the issue with Luke… He drove her friends crazy, asking them time and time again how Ana was doing.

However, he never called her himself to ask how she was doing... Well, good riddance!

For four weeks, Christian had been (and still is) the center of Ana's attention. He was recovering from his injuries and needed someone. Grace was so happy and thankful, when Ana had told her that she planned on helping Christian with everything around the house. Things like cooking dinner, washing the dishes, etc...

That also meant binge-watching TV shows on NetFlix of course! Shows such as Grimm, The Black list, Game of Thrones.

Yes, Ana sure had a lot of fun with Christian at his place...

Ana was really enjoying his company, and something told her (the little voice inside her head) that the feeling was mutual...

Ana had gotten to know Christian better and to be honest she couldn't stop thinking about him. He was unknowingly consuming Ana's every thought...

At work there was Kate, who kept teasing her about it. "Earth to Ana!" her assistant kept saying to her, because Ana's mind drifted off easily to those sparkling, grey eyes. (even during meetings with clients)

Christian, Christian, Christian...

What should she do about it though?

Go for it and tell him how she felt?

Or just ignore it?

Ana truly didn't know which choice was the better one...

In Ana's opinion, he was a good man. A little broken inside, but that drew her more to him than anything else. Christian was human and wasn't perfect…

He was _far_ from perfect, and that fact made him in Ana's eyes more attractive. She found out not long ago that he had experienced true sorrow, when he was just a teenager...

He had lost his high school sweetheart, when he was only 17. So heart breaking…

Christian barely talked about it though, but Ana noticed and saw in his eyes that it still hurt him deeply... losing Gia. Grace had told Ana that he was really crazy about his then-girlfriend.

When Christian's mom had told Ana the story of Gia, her heart broke into a hundred pieces.

What a tragedy...

Ana was taken out of her thoughts by the older man in khaki shorts who stood behind her in line. "It's your turn, honey..." she heard him say, while he lightly patted her upper arm.

She turned to face him, and said. "Oh, yes... my turn. Thanks."

Ana placed the groceries on the counter, and was a little taken aback by all the items that she had put in her cart. So much groceries!

In a split second she thought about putting a few products back. But then she thought about how empty Christian's fridge was. Plus, his kitchen cupboard was empty also. At that, Ana decided to purchase everything she had placed on the counter anyway.

With all those groceries, Ana was planning on cooking special dishes for Christian.

Come on, he totally deserved it after saving that child's life in the airport...

She was just about to grab her wallet from her bag, when that uncomfortable nagging feeling washed over her once more. She turned her head to look back, and there he was! Crap! Someone _had_ been following her!

Crap! Shit! Fuck!

It was Hyde...

He was standing approximately 4 meters from her and smirked wickedly at Ana…

She froze for a moment, her hands trembling heavily. After she got over the initial shock though, Ana turned her head to avoid his gaze.

The cashier waited patiently for the money, but the older man in the khaki shorts cleared his throat impatiently. "Miss, are you gonna pay or not?" he said.

Ana locked eyes with the older man and said. "Wait, please..."

She then searched for her phone in her bag, but Ana couldn't find it! Crap! Where was her damn phone?!

She had to call Taylor or Jose to inform him about Hyde.

Ana desperately wanted to call Christian, but she knew she shouldn't.

His injuries didn't allow him to get out his apartment and come over here to help her. Ana frantically began searching for her phone, but it just wasn't in her bag! Nor was it in her coat!

At this point everyone was waiting impatiently for Ana. The toddler began to cry, making his mom look at Ana as if she wanted to say. 'Hurry up, will you?'

Ana ignored her, while she turned her head and looked behind her once more.

Hyde was still watching her like a hawk... Fuck!

At a certain point Ana stopped looking for her phone, and locked eyes with the cashier. "Sorry, Miss. But I really need to make a phone call! I have to call the Police, now!" she said, her voice trembling slightly, but very loud.

Ana deliberately spoke loudly to scare Hyde off.

At first the cashier didn't notice that Ana was terrified. Her brows were scrunched together, as she observed Ana. But not long after, she realized that Ana was scared out of her mind.

"Here you go, Miss." She said, and handed Ana her cell phone. "Call them right away..."

Ana immediately dialed Taylor's number and told him what exactly happened.

"Stay where you are, Ana." he told her. "I'll be there right away."

After ending the phone conversation, Ana looked around the Supermarket and noticed that Hyde was gone.

Relieved, Ana let out the breath that she had been holding the whole time and gave the cashier her phone back.

"Thank you so much, Miss." Ana said.

"You're welcome, dear." the nice lady said. "Everything alright with you?"

Ana nodded at that. "Yes, the Police is on their way... thanks." she replied, and paid the cashier.

"Don't you worry, dear. Whoever you're afraid of, I don't think he'd dare hurt you... too many people in here." the nice cashier promised.

Ana nodded, and smiled at the woman. "Thank you so much, Miss." she said, and waited impatiently for Taylor to come get her.

 **~ 15 minutes later ~**

Taylor finally arrived with Jose. Ana instantly walked towards them, and smiled at the duo. "I'm so happy you guys are here." she said.

Taylor asked. "Are you alright, Ana?"

"Uhmm... to be honest, a bit shaky still. But I'll be OK." She replied.

Taylor let out a deep breath, and gave Ana a fast hug. "Thank God..." she heard him say.

"Are you really fine now, Ana? Do you need medical attention?" Jose asked, while giving her a worried look.

"No, Jose. I don't need to see a medic or doctor. I'm fine… really." She promised and gave him a small smile, attempting to convince him.

"OK then." He replied, but he still didn't look convinced.

Jose then checked the place and their surroundings. He came back after ten minutes and said. "Nothing... Hyde's gone..."

"OK, I checked the restrooms and they're clear also." Taylor announced. "Now, let's get out of here."

The three of them then grabbed the paper bags with groceries and they walked in the direction of Taylor's car.

Taylor gave her a ride to Christian's apartment, while Jose drove Ana's black convertible.

As she sat next to him in the car, Taylor cursed nonstop... he was outraged! He just couldn't believe that Hyde would use Ana to get to Christian. Taylor kept cursing then apologized to her, and then he mumbled like an old man, making Ana almost laugh. Fortunately, she was able to hold in her laughter.

Ana smiled internally, as it dawned on her that Christian's friends honestly cared a lot about her.

It felt really good...

Taylor and Jose were Christian's friends, but to Ana they had become hers also.

They were loyal and kind to her...

What Hyde had done not so long ago was very serious, not something Ana would laugh over normally. And yet, she couldn't help but smile right now, because Taylor was muttering about Hyde being a fucking asshole!

As Christian's apartment building came into view, Ana swallowed and said. "Should we tell him about my encounter with Hyde, right now?"

Taylor nodded at that. "We have to, Ana... Grey has the right to know." he replied.

Ana didn't want Christian to worry about her, but Taylor was right about it.

He had to know about Hyde...

The trio stepped out the two cars and went into the building. After stepping out the elevator, they walked silently in the direction of Christian's apartment. As they reached the end of the hall, Ana noticed that his apartment door was wide open. At that, Ana furrowed her brows.

What the... ?

"Taylor, I'm a hundred percent sure that I closed the door behind me, when I left." Ana said, her voice trembling slightly.

"Let's just see where Grey is, Ana." he pointed out. "Let us not jump into conclusions."

As the trio walked inside the apartment, Ana's heart thumped wildly against her chest.

She got really worried about Christian though, when they couldn't find him in the apartment.

'No, no, no, nooo...' was what bounced inside her head, her throat closing up.

Ana frantically searched in Christian's bedroom for maybe a note that he had left for her, but with no success.

It made no sense! Where would he have gone?!

"Christian promised me to stay put till I got back." Ana pointed out, while tears pooled in her pretty eyes. "OMG, guys. What if Hyde got to him?!"

Ana felt the blood in her veins run cold, at the thought of Hyde hurting Christian...

Awful images of Christian instantly plagued her mind, while the three of them stopped with the search. They looked at each other, all three afraid to say what they were thinking.

"Wh... what if Hyde really did what he promised and had hurt Ch... Christian?" Ana asked, while a tear rolled down her cheek.

As those bone-chilling words reached their ears, panic instantly appeared on the faces of Taylor and Jose...

"OK, first thing first..." Ana heard Taylor say, as he already had a plan in mind to search for Christian outside the apartment.

"Should we call your capt..." Ana began, but stopped mid-sentence, when she heard his voice.

"Ana!" Christian said, while he stood at the threshold of the front door.

Her breath hitched in her throat, while Ana locked eyes with Christian.

"I was so worried about you, Ana." he said. "Hyde called me using **_your_ ** phone!"

As a loud sob escaped her lips, Ana strode towards Christian and without hesitation she leaped into his arms.

"Christian..." Ana whispered, while hugging him tightly, her face in the crook of his neck. "Don't you _**ever** _ scare me like that again..."

* * *

 **Note: So... what do you think?**

 **Leave me a review, short or long? ;)**

Thank you all for the support and wonderful reviews. :)

Till the next one,

J


	9. The death grip

**I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **'The death grip'**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

 _As a loud sob escaped her lips, Ana strode towards Christian and without hesitation she leaped into his arms._

 _"Christian..." Ana whispered, while hugging him tightly, her face in the crook of his neck. "Don't you **ever** scare me like that again..."_

As he held her tightly in his arms, Christian sighed in relief, happy that she was unharmed.

Ana held onto him, and whispered. "I thought Hyde had hurt you, Christian… God, I wouldn't know what to do if he had."

He then pulled away from the hug and looked Ana in the eyes. "I was worried about you too, Ana…" he declared. "Hyde told me over the phone that he had you"

Christian then explained to her, Taylor and Jose why he left his apartment.

He told them that when Hyde had hung up the phone, Christian planned on calling Taylor immediately. However, the battery of his phone died and he recalled that his charger was still at the Precinct.

(On the day of the shooting at the Airport, Christian had charged his phone in his office and left it there)

Christian's landline was disconnected, because he had been at the hospital for a month. So, he thought of another way to warn his colleagues.

Christian then stormed out the front door not even bothering to close or lock it. At that time of day, his neighbor Cal Bethany was usually at home. (Christian wasn't all too familiar with the other tenants of the building)

That's why Christian hastily walked towards the elevator to get to his neighbor's apartment on the sixth floor.

But unfortunately Cal wasn't home, because Christian stood in front of his apartment door for approximately 10 minutes, knocking on it like a madman!

When he realized that he wasn't going to be able to borrow Cal's phone, Christian decided then to walk back towards his apartment to grab his coat and walk to the Police Station!

But as he stepped out of the elevator, Christian saw Ana and the guys in his apartment…

"I was so scared for you, Ana… at that moment horrifying images plagued my mind." Christian confessed, and grabbed her hand gently. "I really thought that Hyde would hurt you…"

A bone-chilling feeling tugged at his heart, the feeling unbearable. "I'm so relieved that you're OK, Ana…" Christian confessed and pulled her in a tight embrace once more.

"I'm OK." She replied, her voice muffled because her face landed on his broad chest. "I promise, I'm fine now."

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

As the four of them sat at the kitchen table drinking beer, Ana told Christian what happened at the Supermarket.

"Piece of shit!" Christian growled, after she finished telling him about the incident. "So, the whole time Hyde pretended to have Ana, but he was only bluffing!"

She shook her head at that. "What a coward." Ana hissed. "So, Hyde must have followed me to the supermarket."

At hearing that, Christian felt his skin crawl. How dare he!

"How did he end up with your phone though?" Taylor asked, and took a swig from his beer, his brows scrunched together.

Ana sighed deeply, and looked at Taylor. "I must have dropped it, when I stepped out of my car to go to the Supermarket."

"And because he was following you, Hyde saw it on the ground and grabbed the phone." Jose stated, and looked at Ana.

Christian gripped his beer bottle so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "And later, when Hyde saw that Ana called you," he said and looked at Taylor, "When she called you for help, he probably thought it would be fun to torture me and say that he had her… fucking piece of shit!"

While clenching his hands into fists, Taylor drank the last of his beer. "So, Hyde's plan all along was to scare you and Ana." He concluded. "Coward!"

"Well, I for one am glad that he didn't harm you." Christian replied, and locked eyes with Ana.

"Me too" she said sincerely, and smiled lovingly at Christian.

 **~ Some time later ~**

After the 'Hyde incident', the guys decided to watch Sports and Ana went to the kitchen to prepare something quick for Taylor and Jose to eat.

After they had eaten, the three men talked about Hyde once more. They talked about the best way to capture him, and what to do with him, when they had.

"Ana?" Christian said, and locked eyes with her as she sat at the table, drinking her coffee, her small hands gripping the mug.

"Yes?"

Christian glanced at Taylor and then back at Ana. "Uhmm, the guys and I think that it would be for the best if you didn't go home tonight. " he suggested, and cleared his throat, wondering if she'd agree on it. "We think it would be a good idea for you to stay at my place for the night."

Ana all of a sudden felt as if the room had caught fire. She hesitated and bit her bottom lip. "Uhmmm, well I…" she began, but wasn't able to finish her sentence.

At that, Christian gave her a serious look. "I… uhmm, we just want to make sure Hyde won't try to hurt you, Ana…" he explained.

Her eyes darted to Taylor then towards Jose and back towards Christian. "OK, then. If it's for my safety… then I'll do it." Ana replied, making the three men sigh in relief.

xxx

Approximately twenty five minutes later, Ana went to her place with Taylor to grab clothes and other essentials. They were back in no time, with Ana carrying a huge overnight bag.

"Wow, Ana…" Christian teased, while a smirk appeared on his lips. "Are you going on vacation for a whole month or so?"

"Shut up." Ana fired back, and placed a hand on her hip, while narrowing her pretty blue eyes. "Hey, in case you guys haven't noticed… I'm a girl and girls need a lot of _unimportant_ stuff, OK!"

Instead of shutting the three men up with her comment, they teased Ana even more.

At that, she huffed and glared at them, making them burst out into a ear deafening laughter.

xxx

After Ana had put her large bag away, Taylor looked at Christian worriedly. "Are you sure that one of us shouldn't stay? You're injuries aren't healed completely, Grey." He stated.

Christian patted him on his upper arm. "That may be so, but I assure you buddy that I'm capable of keeping Ana and me safe." He insisted. "In case you've forgotten, I'm not a helpless man"

(Christian referred to the weapons he had in the apartment)

"OK, Grey… if you say so." Taylor said, and locked eyes with him. "If you need help, don't hesitate to call Jose or me. OK?"

At that Christian nodded. "I promise… now get lost! I'm pretty sure your wife is waiting impatiently for you…" he replied, while a wide grin appeared on his handsome face.

xxx [[[]]] xxx

Approximately ten minutes later, Ana and Christian sat on the couch, drinking another cup of coffee. They talked about her job and watched some TV.

At a certain point Ana's eyes fluttered shut gradually and her head landed on Christian's upper arm.

He smiled, because she was snoring lightly.

"She must be exhausted" Christian whispered, and shook her gently.

"Ana… sweet Ana?" he said and brushed a shiny lock from her gorgeous face. "Ana?"

At that she whined, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, it's getting late… you have work tomorrow. Go on... you should rest now, Ana." Christian suggested.

Ana nodded and mumbled a soft 'Yeah, you're right' and got up from the couch. "I'm gonna take a shower first."

Christian nodded and smiled, content that Ana was with him right now.

 _After a while she came back into the living room. Christian's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, as he admired Ana in her red see-through night gown. She walked towards him and told him that he could take a shower now._

 _Christian instantly got up from the couch and clumsily dropped his coffee mug._

 _'Thank goodness it was empty.' He thought and grinned at Ana sheepishly._

 _At the same time, he and Ana both bent to pick up the mug and that's when they bumped each other in the head._

 _"Ouch" they said in unison and rubbed their heads._

 _At that, Ana burst out into laughter and so did Christian._

 _As he watched her, Christian admired the beauty that was Anastasia Steele._

 _She looked absolutely stunning with her cheeks flushed from laughing so hard, and her locks damp from the shower._

 _In his opinion, her laugh sounded like music in his ears, so contagious!_

 _But all of a sudden Christian stopped laughing and instead he gazed into her gorgeous blue orbs. Ana also stopped laughing, so gray eyes locked onto her blue ones…_

 _She briefly looked down, that's when he realized that she had been looking at his lips._

 _Christian's eyes also dropped to her gorgeous red rose lips for a brief moment and then they darted back upwards, locking onto her eyes once more._

 _"Christian" he heard her say, the sound of her voice almost like prayer._

 _It was then, when he lost his control and crushed his lips onto hers._

 _Ana moaned sweetly, and smiled during the kiss._

 _'Finally' Christian thought, as he tasted her wonderful lips…_

All of a sudden, Christian didn't feel Ana close to him any longer and heard someone calling out his name from a short distance.

"Christian, Christian! Helloo, Christian!"

Ana… it was Ana.

He felt a small hand shaking him on his upper arm. At that, he jumped up and sat up with a start.

"Ana?" he said, totally confused. "What is it? What happened?"

She chuckled and said. "You fell asleep… you were dreaming, I think."

Christian observed Ana and noticed that she wasn't wearing a red see-through sleeping gown, but she was wearing pink pajamas instead.

'Fuck!' he thought. 'It had been only a dream…'

Christian was very disappointed and swiftly got on his feet. "I'm gonna take a shower" he announced and hastily strode towards the bathroom, while purposely avoiding her gaze.

He felt absolutely embarrassed, because he dreamed of kissing Ana hotly.

Crap…

He practically ran towards the bathroom, and shut the door with a loud thud, leaving a very confused Ana behind in the living room.

 **~ Hours later ~**

It was almost 2 AM, but Ana had trouble sleeping. She was lying on his very comfortable air bed, and yet slumber was unable to take her.

Christian had given Ana a lot of pillows and blankets, so she wasn't cold. He was such a sweetheart, and had insisted for her to sleep in his bed in the bedroom.

However, Ana didn't want to burden him and she pointed out that with his injuries he needed to sleep on a very comfortable bed. (meaning: his own bed)

They 'argued' about it for a while, till Christian had given up because Ana wasn't planning on changing her mind about it. Yes, she was persistent like that.

It was then, when he decided to sleep in his own bed anyway.

"If you change your mind, just tell me and I'll gladly give up my bed" Christian told her.

"I won't" Ana said firmly and wished him good night.

And now here she was, in this heavenly airbed and yet she couldn't fall asleep.

In her opinion, Christian was thoughtful and very kind. At a certain point though, Ana yawned and felt that sleep was finally taking over her exhausted body.

She was glad about it, because she needed the rest.

'Work tomorrow.' Were the words that swirled inside her head, as slumber took over her completely.

 **~ A while later ~**

All of a sudden, Ana was awoken by someone repeating a name. As she looked around, it took her a couple of moments to realize were she was.

Where?!

However, after a few minutes Ana knew exactly where she was.

'Oh yes, I was sleeping in the living room at Christian's…. It was Christian!' Ana thought at that moment.

Oh, no… Christian was repeating a name over and over again, his voice trembling heavily.

Without hesitation, Ana practically sprinted towards his bedroom.

He was tossing and turning in his sleep with his right hand stretched out and saying. "Gia, Gia… Please don't leave me."

As Ana watched him, a gut-wrenching feeling cut right through her heart and soul.

She closed the gap between them and lightly grabbed his upper arm and attempted to wake him up. Apparently Ana wasn't gentle enough, because Christian woke up startled and swiftly grabbed and pinned her onto the bed.

She yelped loudly, while looking up at Christian, while he hovered over her.

When he realized that he wasn't in any danger and saw Ana lying on her back in his bed, her eyes wide, Christian let go of her.

He immediately apologized. "I'm so sorry, Ana…" he whispered, his voice low. "I thought you were an intruder. I'm not used to having someone over. Sorry."

He turned his face and avoided Ana's gaze.

At that, Ana sat up on the bed and placed a hand on his wrist. "Hey, it's okay. Don't worry about me, I'm a tough girl." She pointed out.

And yet, Christian still wasn't facing her.

So, Ana gently placed a hand on his warm cheek. "Christian, will you please look at me?" she asked, and traced his face with her thumb.

And yet, he refused to do what she had asked of him.

So, Ana cupped his face gently with both her hands and guided his face carefully towards her own. Finally, he locked eyes with Ana for a brief moment but then he broke eye contact with her once more.

"Christian, will you look at me please?" Ana asked again.

As those words tumbled from her lips, his eyes fluttered shut for a couple of seconds and then finally, he locked eyes with Ana…

What she saw in his eyes at that very moment, made her heart ache tremendously.

The pain that Ana saw in them was so overwhelming.

Conclusion: It still hurt Christian enormous, losing Gia…

It was almost too much for Ana to take, but thank goodness she still had the strength to try to comfort him.

It hurt her that Christian was in so much pain right now.

While tears spilled from her eyes, her voice trembling, Ana whispered." Hey, you are not alone, Christian. I am here for you, don't forget OK?" She declared, and gently caressed his cheek.

He nodded, so Ana pulled him in a tight embrace.

She held him close and disappeared in his warm arms. Christian held onto her for dear life, squeezing her so tightly, she almost had trouble breathing.

His whole body was shaking from the sobs and he whispered. "I didn't do enough to try to find her. I should've done more… Maybe then, I would've found her."

Ana shook her head and whispered. "No, you did all you could, Christian… you were only 17, remember?" she pointed out. "You shouldn't feel guilty about it, because you did everything in your power to find her."

However, he disagreed with Ana and shook his head furiously. "I should have done more!" Christian insisted, dismissing her.

So, she just held him tightly, realizing that he was going to disagree with her no matter what she said.

Ana didn't say much after that, only kept Christian close to her and did her very best to comfort him.

The both of them were so exhausted from the events of the day, meaning the 'stalker incident' with Hyde, so at a certain point they both fell asleep.

After a while, it was Ana who had woken up, because she felt something heavy on her.

Oh boy, what… who?

Oh! The heavy thing was Christian!

He was still in Ana's arms and had fallen asleep on top of her. Christian was a big guy compared to her, so with all his weight on her, she had trouble breathing at one point.

Even with him almost crushing her, Ana had to smile because he was sleeping like a baby, so peacefully.

Ana carefully moved, so that he wasn't lying on top of her any longer. However, Christian was still holding her tightly.

She attempted to get out from under him, but his hold on her was very tight. After a while though, Ana eventually gave up. She sighed deeply at that, and decided to just lie next to him in his bed with his arms still around her waist.

Ana moved so he was lying next to her, instead of on top of her.

As her eyes fluttered shut, a warm and bright feeling spread inside her chest. Ana didn't want to wake Christian up, afraid that he was gonna have another nightmare.

'Tomorrow, I have some explaining to do. But for now I want to stay here with him' were the words that bounced inside her skull.

So… with a huge smile on her gorgeous face, Ana also drifted peacefully off to dreamland.

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

The next morning, Christian woke up with his arm wrapped up around something very warm. What an amazing feeling. His eyes fluttered open slowly and that's when he saw that his arm was wrapped around Ana…

Sweet, beautiful, amazing Ana.

As Christian's eyes scanned his bedroom, he noticed the sun shining through his window. And the birds were singing a beautiful tune.

OK, what happened again?!

'What happened last night?' he wondered for a brief moment.

After a little while though, Christian remembered it all. He had another nightmare of Gia…

'Ana must have heard me and went into my bedroom to comfort me.' He thought.

If it were someone else, he would feel very uncomfortable. But because it was Ana who comforted him, it felt good instead. Christian had never told anyone about his nightmares.

Ana was the first to know about them…

As Christian's eyes landed on her once more, he admired the features of her beautiful face. She was sleeping so peacefully, making him smile widely, his heart fluttering in his chest.

It was then, when Christian wondered how they both ended up together in bed. The last thing he remembered was Ana comforting him, while he was sobbing in her arms.

'I probably fell asleep and she didn't want to wake me up.' He thought then.

Christian assumed that he probably had a tight grip on Ana, making it hard for her to get lose from him.

So that's why Ana stayed with him in his bed…

From a young age, Christian always had a death grip when asleep.

When he was younger, his mother used to tell him about said 'death grip'.

If he got sick when he was little, he insisted from his parents to sleep with him.

The next day they complained about Christian's 'death grip'.

"I couldn't even go to the bathroom, because you held me so tightly! It was impossible to escape your tight hold, Christian." his mother had told him once, making him laugh at her.

As he observed Ana's face, he felt content and happy...

She then shifted a bit and put her hand on his.

Awww… she was sleeping so peacefully.

However, Christian knew he had to wake her up. Ana had to go to work this morning.

He decided then to give her 5 more minutes...

Christian knew that he was being selfish, enjoying Ana being so close to him. In that moment he wished that he could lie like this with her forever.

As he thought about the nightmare from the night before, Christian felt a tug at his heart.

Yes, Ana was truly amazing and she understood him.

Maybe he should let go of the past. It hurt to even _**think**_ about it, but maybe after 15 years it was time to let go of Gia… Maybe it was time for him to move on with his life.

Christian closed his eyes, sighed deeply and decided then. 'I should move on… I will move on…'

One moment Christian was still lying peacefully next to Ana, and then the next, their peace was interrupted.

He was taken out of his thoughts by the bedroom door swinging open!

As he opened his eyes, Christian noticed Taylor and Jose standing at the threshold of the bedroom door.

Crap!

Both of them were staring at Ana and Christian, their eyes almost popping out, their mouth falling open.

They watched how Christian had wrapped his arm around her tiny waist and how she had placed her hand on top of his.

Taylor and Jose stood frozen for a couple of seconds with their mouths hanging open slightly.

And just as Christian was about to explain what really happened, they excused themselves and stormed back towards the living room.

"Errrr, not my business, Grey!" he heard Taylor say aloud.

"You do whatever makes you happy, buddy!" Jose announced.

At that Christian chuckled loudly, making Ana wake up. As her eyes fluttered open slowly, he smiled at her lovingly.

Christian cleared his throat and locked eyes with her. "Good morning, Ana… I know nothing happened between you and I, but Taylor and Jose are in the living room right now thinking that something _**did**_ happen." He explained. "Do you want to help me explain to them that **_nothing_ ** happened between us last night?"

* * *

 **Note: Whoops!**

 **Well, will Christian finally attempt to move on from his then-girlfriend? hmmm...**

 _ **So... tell me what you think of the chap?**_

 _ **Leave me a review, short or long? ;)**_

Thank you all for the support and the amazing reviews! :)

Till the next one,

J


	10. I do not pretend

**I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **I do not pretend**

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

* * *

 ** _"Do you want to help me explain to them that nothing happened between us last night?"_**

Ana gasped loudly, the moment she realized what Christian was talking about. She swiftly grabbed the covers and hid under them. Out from under the covers, he heard her say. "No, you go explain it to them. I'm gonna stay right here, where it's safe."

At hearing that, Christian felt a tug at his heart.

"Right here where it's safe..." were her exact words. So Ana felt safe here in his apartment. She felt safe with him...

Christian sighed happily and smiled, unable to believe that this young woman... correction, this amazing beautiful young woman liked his company.

"Well, have you explained it to them yet?" Ana asked impatiently, making Christian chuckle loudly.

"I'm going, I'm going." He then got up and walked over to the living room with a huge grin on his face, even though he didn't look forward to the teasing he was about to receive.

 **~Later that day ~**

At the moment Ana was sitting across from her assistant Kate. They were having lunch at their favorite coffee shop. As Ana drank her coffee, she couldn't help but think about this morning when she hid under the covers of Christian's bed. She had been too embarrassed to face Taylor and Jose, so she stayed hidden from them until they left. The night before, nothing happened between Christian and her, but the guys assumed something _did_ happen.

Christian attempted to explain, but no matter what he said the guys didn't believe him. Ana had been eavesdropping on their conversation, leaning on the bedroom door, her ear pressed onto said door. Taylor even said that Christian was a big boy and didn't need to explain his actions to him or Jose.

At that moment Ana felt bad for Christian, but she couldn't help but laugh at the situation. It was hilarious how the guys were purposely teasing him.

As she took a bite of her pie, Ana had to admit that she had never met such big teasers before in her life. Taylor seemed such a tough guy if you didn't know him, but Ana experienced first-hand what a fun guy he truly was.

Before she left for work, Christian had thanked her for comforting him. He felt guilty about not being able to find Gia and it pained Ana that he was still hurting even after all this time.

She couldn't stand it that a good man like him was suffering so much! He deserved some happiness…

"Earth to Ana!"

Ana was taken out of her thoughts by Kate's voice.

"Ana?"

Ana cleared her throat and said." Yes?"

Kate raised an eyebrow, while a naughty smile played at her red lips." Man! I really have to meet this guy… he's clearly consuming your every thought." She openly teased.

At that, Ana blushed like a school girl." Shut up."

Kate wholeheartedly laughed and said." Girl, you've got it bad."

Ana shook her head furiously." No, I don't. Christian is my friend and nothing m…" She began, but stopped mid-sentence because she saw a familiar face. He was walking into the coffee shop.

Who?

Well, this particular gray-eyed man off course… the one she and Kate had been talking about just now.

When Kate noticed him walking towards their table, she almost choked on her coffee. She whispered." Oh my God… what a gorgeous specimen of a man. What I would do…"

As Kate fanned herself, Ana had to suppress her laughter. Her assistant could act crazy sometimes.

The moment Christian stood in front of them, Ana locked eyes with him.

"Good afternoon, ladies." He said.

"Hi Christian." Ana replied." I'd like to introduce you to my friend Kate."

At hearing that, Kate's eyes widened.

As they shook hands, the wheels in Kate's head started to turn." So… so you are Christian Grey. The man who saved my boss's life a month ago?"

He nodded and smiled at Kate. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Kate."

"Nice to meet you too, Christian…" she replied.

Kate then mumbled something Ana couldn't quite understand, so she looked at her assistant questioningly." What did you say?"

When Kate didn't reply, Ana rolled her eyes at her. She knew better and didn't press the matter. Why? Well, Kate loves teasing almost as much as Taylor and Jose.

Ana then focused her attention on Christian instead." Hey, you shouldn't be here. You know that, right? Your injuries haven't fully healed yet." She scolded him, while furrowing her brows." What are you doing out of your apartment, Christian Grey?"

At hearing that, he brought both his hands in front of him in defense." I know, I know. I'm busted, but I'm only here to pay and pick up my order." He replied. "After, I'll go straight back to my apartment… I promise, OK?"

"OK then, but please be careful. You don't want to rip open any of your stiches…" Christian heard Ana say.

"Yes, Ana. I'll be extra careful." He promised, while he looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes."

"Number 214!" They heard a voice say from behind them.

At hearing that, Christian looked over to the counter and said." So, that's me… my order is ready. See you later, Ana."

"Later, Christian." She replied with a smile on her face.

As he walked over to the cashier, Kate smiled at Ana from ear to ear." Oh… now I get why you're so smitten by him."

She huffed at that." Kate… I'm not smit…" she began, but got cut off by Christian.

"Ana, you don't mind if I put the clothes you wore yesterday in the washing machine, do you?" he asked with his lunch in hand.

At that moment Ana felt as if the atmosphere had caught fire. She was speechless and noticed how Kate was looking at her with her mouth open.

Christian saw Ana's then Kate's reaction and realized then that _again_ , others were having the wrong idea about the two of them.

"Kate, there's nothing going on between us." He tried to explain, but his attempts were in vain.

She didn't believe him nor did she believe Ana.

"Hey, you two are adults and by the looks of it you really… I mean _really_ like each other." Kate said, and winked at Christian.

He shook his head and looked helplessly at Ana." So sorry…" was what he said and sped away, mumbling a "See ya later, Ana."

Kate had a devilish grin on her face. Ana wasn't in the mood to explain, and only said." I'm still your boss and as your boss, I say that at the moment I do not want to get into that."

Kate kept grinning." Oh, I can _so_ imagine why you want to keep him all for yourself, boss. He is fucking gorgeous!"

Ana instantly opened her mouth to explain, but realized Kate said that on purpose. She then decided to change the subject and asked Kate questions about their next big job, while enjoying the rest of her pie.

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

After lunch they went back to the photo studio to finish up work for that day. Ana was so busy that time flew by. It was exactly 5:10 PM, when she was finally done. After everyone left the studio, Ana closed up and slid behind the wheel of her car.

As she drove towards Christian's apartment building, she thought for a second about going back to her own fancy apartment first. However, Ana decided not to.

It was so weird that she felt safer in Christian's apartment… Ana felt more than safe there. At his place, Ana felt at home...

That realization was wonderful and scary at the same time, because the feeling was all new to her. Whenever she was sleeping over at Luke's house, she never felt at home… she never felt like this. Instead, Ana felt like a guest in that huge mansion─ every single time she slept there.

Why?

She truly didn't know why…

After ten minutes or so, Ana parked her convertible in front of Christian's apartment building and was just about to step out the car, when she heard her phone ring.

She bought a brand new one before she went to work this morning, because her old one was probably still at Hyde's. What a creepy stalker! Ugh!

Luke was the one who was calling her at the moment. Ana growled at that and rolled her eyes. She wasn't in the mood to talk to him, so she let it ring till the end. However, after it stopped ringing, she received a text message. It was from Luke!

It said that he needed to talk to her, as soon as possible. Ana didn't think it was a good idea, and yet she decided to have that talk with him. So, she texted him back.

As Ana walked into the building, she decided to block the rest of the world from her mind and focused on Christian. While walking into his apartment, she automatically had a smile on her face. Ana assumed that he had been cooking, because she smelled something good coming from the kitchen.

"Christian?" she said and furrowed her brows, wondering where he was. There was no sign of him in the living room, nor was he in the kitchen.

So, Ana assumed that he must be in his bedroom or study. He had a small place, where he stashed all his books. Christian had a lot of them.

Ana took off her coat and then washed her hands in the kitchen, while shouting. "Hey, Christian. The food smells delicious! I didn't know you could cook."

A couple of minutes after she said that, Ana walked into the living room and saw Christian walking out of the study.

Ana smiled at him, the moment their eyes locked, glad that she finally found someone who understood her.

However, that moment of peace was cut short.

Oh, no… Christian wasn't alone. He was accompanied by two others…

Ana came face to face with the last people she'd ever expect to be in Christian's humble apartment…

Her parents!

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

At the moment Ana was sitting at the dining table with her parents and Christian, while playing with her food instead of eating it. When she left work not that long ago, Ana was hungry. But the moment she saw her parents, her appetite disappeared instantly. She felt very uncomfortable, and wanted nothing more than to excuse herself. However, she couldn't do that to Christian… she couldn't leave him alone with her father.

Christian and her parents were having a discussion of some sort, but she was only half-listening.

At one point Ana sighed deeply, making the others look at her questioningly.

"What is it, dear?" her dad asked, while looking at her disapprovingly.

"Nothing dad… you three carry on with your conversation." Ana replied dryly.

Christian locked eyes with Ana and gave her an encouraging look. At that, she cleared her throat and decided to mingle in their conversation. The four of them ate dinner, while talking about all kinds of stuff.

Christian thanked Ana's parents for raising such a wonderful person like her. He told them that he and Ana stayed in touch after he saved her life. And when he was recovering from his injuries in the hospital and at home, Ana kept an eye on him.

At hearing that Ray nodded and smiled, but didn't comment on it. Ana knew that his smiles and laughs at the dinner table were fake. Her father was only pretending to enjoy being there.

Ana's mom on the other hand reacted differently, when she found out her daughter had helped Christian." Well, that's our Ana... always considerate of others." she said with pride in her voice, and smiled at her only daughter.

At that moment Ana was so glad that her mom wasn't pretending like her dad was and smiled back at her.

Ray asked Christian a bunch of questions about his job. As her father spoke, Ana wanted to throw up… like literally.

She really didn't expect her father to be here. And Ana knew her dad very well. He isn't the kind of person to come over to a strange man's home out of the blue. Her father has met Christian only that one time, so in his eyes Christian was indeed a stranger. Ana knew who and how her father was.

He was here with a goal in mind and she knew exactly what that was.

He can be kind and is usually nice to most people. However, if he thinks someone is threatening his plans, he can be brutal.

If her dad has something in mind, you can move heaven and earth, but he will not change his mind about it… he will not budge. And in this case his mind was set on her marrying Luke.

Through the years Ana had experienced his stubbornness, and up until now she had been the only one who dared to challenge him.

She was as stubborn as her father and intended on making it clear to him and her mom that no one could force her to get back with Luke.

That's why her parents were here at Christian's. They weren't here to mend their relationship with Ana. They most definitely weren't here to talk about Harvey and what happened 15 years ago, but about her and Luke.

As the minutes passed, Ana had enough and wanted to end all the small talk. She loved her parents and wanted to try and make it right with them, but first she wanted them to be honest with her and explain why her memory was erased.

"So dad, how did you and mom meet Christian today?" Ana interrupted them, unable to wait any longer.

Ana noticed that her father was taken aback by her question, but he recovered fast. "Well, I needed some legal advice and thought of Mr. Grey." He replied.

Ana frowned at his answer, knowing that her father had his own army of lawyers. He's got an in-house legal staff of six lawyers. Men and women who he turned to if he needed legal advice.

Ana knew that her father was lying through his teeth, but didn't get into it. Instead, she pressed the matter further." But how did you find Christian?" she asked.

"Well, I called the Police Station and heard that Mr. Grey hasn't been in, because he was shot in the line of duty. Your mom and I were very shocked to hear that. And that's when we decided to call Mr. Grey at home to ask how he was doing." Ana's father explained.

"Jose knew that they were your parents, so he didn't hesitate to give your father my number. Then your dad called me and..." Christian began, but stopped mid-sentence, because a phone rang at that moment. It was the landline.

At that, Christian got up from his chair." Excuse me, please. It must be my mom calling. I'll be right back." he said and walked over to the living room.

The moment Christian was out of earshot, Ana asked." And then, what happened after Jose gave you his number, dad?"

"I immediately called Mr. Grey and after our little chat on the phone, he invited us over for dinner." Ray replied." Are you satisfied with my explanation, dear? Have more questions for me? Is this an interrogation, Ana dear?"

He said those words in such a condescending manner, making Ana lose it completely. She couldn't take it anymore and went off on him." Why are you here, dad? What is it that you want from me? Haven't I made it clear that Luke and I are over?!"

Carla was shocked at Ana's reaction and was unable to say anything.

At that, Ana's father stood up." Who do you think I am, young lady? How dare you speak to me in such a manner?!"

Ana also stood up and glared at her dad." I know exactly who you are! And I've always respected you... I did that my whole life." She replied, her voice shaking from pure anger." But that vanished the moment I found out what you have kept from me all these years. And not only that, but that you gave someone permission to erase my memory!"

Ray was seething and was about to scold his daughter, but at that moment Christian came back. Ana cleared her throat and instantly sat back in her chair. Her father did the same and they went on with the evening like nothing had occurred between Ana and her father.

She played along and acted civil towards her parents, because in front of others they never let it show if they had problems. That was just the way they were; always _acting_ like the perfect family in front of other people.

* * *

After dinner, Ana walked her parents to their limo. She didn't want to walk them out, but her father insisted on it.

When they reached the car, Carla gave Ana a hug and stepped into said car." Bye mom."

"Later, hon. Call me?" her mother said with pleading eyes.

Ana just nodded at that and then locked eyes with her father." Bye dad." she said hesitantly.

"Ana... I wanna talk to you about Luke. Come by my office first thing tomorrow morning, will you." her father ordered.

When those words reached her ears, Ana wasn't able to maintain her composure any longer." Was that a request? Or was it an order, dad?!" she growled, while glaring up at him." I knew it! I knew you didn't come here for legal advice. Or because you were truly concerned about Christian. Well to answer your question, _dad_. No, I won't be coming by your office. Why? Because Luke and I are not a couple anymore. We are over! He and I broke up a month ago."

At hearing that, Ray got angry and said." Ana, I do not know what is going on with you and Luke. But I'm sure that you two can work things out. Come on, give the boy a chance!"

Ana was furious and shook her head." Dad, I know that you've always expected me to marry him. But I've come to realize that I should be with someone, because I want to and not to please others." she said, the tone of her voice so cold it put the coldest winter to shame.

"Ana, you don't know what you're doing! Stop this nonsense, will you!" her father growled.

Others would've been afraid of Ray, but not his only daughter…

Ana wasn't gonna back down like her mom always does during an argument with her dad. She took deep breaths and looked him straight in the eyes so he would know that she was very serious." Dad, you have to accept it, because my decision is final. It is over between Luke and me."

It was then, when it dawned on her father that Ana meant every single word and that no one, not even he could change her mind about it.

He looked at Ana angrily, while contemplating what to say next.

"Ray, let's go. Please?" they both heard Carla say, her voice pleading.

However, Ana's dad wasn't done with the argument. He shook his head and glared at his daughter." And when did you realize that you had to break up with Luke? Was it the day you met this Christian guy? Huh?" he accused, making Ana feel real badly." What exactly are you two, hmm? Friends? More than friends? Have you been sleeping with the man?!"

He said the last words with such disgust, making Ana's heart bleed. Who was this man in front of her? Was this really her dad? She couldn't believe her ears and was speechless at the moment.

So, Ray went on further with the nasty remarks and insults. "You know, I have always warned you about men who don't have any money, who want to be with a rich woman like you. Remember? He doesn't care about you. He just cares about the money that we have. Why are you acting like a naïve little girl, Ana?"

As those cruel words reached her ears, Ana's heart broke into pieces, while tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn't believe her father was treating her like this... How dare he thought so low of Christian and her!

Ana's lips trembled heavily, while she said." Thank you so much, dad... for thinking so highly of me and Christian. Truthfully? We _are_ friends. Very good friends."

After saying that, she turned around and walked back into Christian's apartment building without glancing back once.

* * *

Ana walked into the apartment expecting Christian to be in the kitchen. So she was startled, when he opened the front door for her.

He immediately noticed that Ana had been crying." Hey, what's wrong Ana?" he asked lovingly.

"Nothing, I'm OK." She replied and avoided his gaze.

"Ana?"

"I'm fine, Christian..." she insisted, but he saw right through her.

"You don't have to pretend with me, Ana..." he whispered and cupped her face." I'm me... I'm not your parents. I do not pretend."

At hearing that, Ana looked up at Christian. The moment their eyes met, Ana began to sob loudly. He instantly pulled her in a tight embrace.

Ana's face landed on his chest, while she cried her heart out.

"My dad... we uhmm, we had an ugly argument and he... he..." Ana sobbed, unable to finish her sentence.

As Christian stroked her soft hair, he comforted Ana." Shhh, it's OK, sweetie... I'm right here."

The louder Ana cried, the tighter he held her. At that very moment, Christian vowed to always look out for Ana...

After a while, she finally had calmed down. Ana took a seat on the couch, while Christian brought her a glass of water.

While she took a swig from the water, Christian took a seat next to Ana. A tear rolled down her cheek, so he lovingly wiped it away. He looked into her pretty eyes and smiled." Hey, like I said before. You don't have to tell me what's going on with you. But if you need a friend to talk about it, know that I'm here for you. OK, Ana?" were the words that tumbled from his lips.

Ana knew that he meant it. She smiled through her tears and said." I don't know why you are so patient with me. It must drive you mad to see me like this, but I don't tell you anything."

Christian shook his head." No, it doesn't drive me mad, but I do wonder. But you can take all the time you need okay? I'm not going anywhere." he promised." See my stitches? They don't allow me to go too far away."

Ana laughed at his joke, making Christian laugh also.' God, I'm so in love with the sound of her laugh...' were the words that bounced inside his skull at that particular moment.

"Thank you, Christian." She said and kissed him lightly on the lips.

When she did that, his eyes instantly fluttered shut, while enjoying the feel of her soft lips onto his. Christian still had his eyes closed, even after she had pulled away. A few moments later, he opened his eyes and noticed Ana smiling lovingly at him. The look in her eyes were of a person who really cared about him. That realization made his heart swell wonderfully.

Ana was still gazing into his eyes, so Christian took the opportunity and cupped her face gently. Without hesitation he brought his lips to her cheeks, intending on kissing away the tears from her beautiful face. She automatically shut her eyes tightly, while he ran his fingers through her thick, silky locks. At one point his fingers landed on her neck, making Ana sigh happily. Christian traced her shoulder and when his hand landed on her lips, Ana's eyes fluttered open.

At that very moment, she wanted nothing more than to be explored by Christian's talented fingers. As his eyes landed on her aching mouth, Ana boldly moved and swiftly sat on his lap, straddling Christian. That action made him gasp softly, while he admired the gorgeous woman who was so close to him right now.

They locked their eyes on each other, both waiting if the other was going to back down. However, neither of them wanted to do that.

Ana and Christian both wanted more...

So, he cupped her face with both hands and crashed his lips onto hers. Ana instantly felt a tingle through her whole body from her head through her fingers and her toes. Within seconds their lips began to move slowly. Their mouths explored one another, while they held onto each other for dear life. At one point, Ana unexpectedly bit on his lower lip and sucked on it sweetly, making Christian groan loudly.

As they kissed, Christian suddenly felt her hand in his hair. At first Ana caressed his locks, but a few moments later, she tugged on it real hard, making him moan into her mouth.

Everything was going great until it wasn't. It was then, when fate decided to be cruel to them. Crap!

Her phone rang, making Ana and Christian pull away instantly. They both gasped for air, their chest heaving from their recent 'activities'.

As she grabbed her phone, Christian observed Ana's face and noticed how her lips were extra red from his kisses. She answered the phone call, but not before looking him intensely in the eyes.

It was in that very moment, when Christian realized that he had completely lost his heart to this young woman.

The moment Ana ended the phone conversation, he noticed that she was trembling lightly.

"Hey... what's the matter, Ana?" Christian asked worriedly, and grabbed her gently on both her wrists.

He immediately noticed that Ana's face had turned pale.

"Ana, what is it?"

She shook her head and whispered." It was the Fire Department, Christian... There's a huge fire raging on the _top_ floor of my apartment building..."

* * *

 **Note: Thank you for reading.**

 **Leave me a review, short or long?**

 **J**


	11. Let it go, Christian

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

 **This picks up right after what happened in chap 10.** **  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **Let it go, Christian**

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

* * *

 _ **"Ana, what is it?"**_

 _ **She shook her head and whispered." It was the Fire Department, Christian... There's a huge fire raging on the top floor of my apartment building..."**_

As those words tumbled from Ana's lips, she thought about her penthouse apartment... Nooo.

 _"Two apartments are on fire, ma'am... yours is one of them." were the words that still rang in her ear._

Those were the words the Captain of the Fire Department had said through the phone a couple minutes ago.

Ana had a lot of negatives of her work stashed in her apartment. Plus, everything she owned was at her place... As it dawned on Ana that she had lost everything she had worked for her whole life, she was all of a sudden unable to stand on her own two feet, feeling like the room was spinning around.

Luckily Christian was there to soften her landing by catching Ana.

"Ana! Ana!" she heard him say." Please, stay with me!"

Christian had a worried look on his face, and asked." Are you OK? Ana!"

She wanted to reply, but was unable to... too shocked by the bad news.

"Ana?!" she heard him say once more, the look in his eyes pleading.

Her eyes were locked on Christian's, while still in his arms and in that moment Ana was hit by a 'memory'

 _ ****Ana's memory****_

 _"Let me go! Let me go!" Ana shouted, while being carried by 'the giant' towards the ship._

 _She sobbed, while hitting and kicking the strong and robust man any place on his body she could reach. However, the man didn't even flinch once and kept on striding in the direction of the ship._

 _"Queen Anastasia, please calm down." Commander Sawyer pleaded, and held Theodore's hand tightly._

 _But Ana kept struggling against 'the giant' and said." You cannot leave the King behind! He needs your help!"_

 _"Giant, let the Queen stand on her own." the Commander ordered._

 _At hearing that, 'the giant' immediately obeyed his superior and gently placed Ana on her two feet._

 _"We have to go back to help the King!" Ana sobbed, and looked at Sawyer with pleading eyes._

 _Commander Sawyer shook his head at that." My Queen, this is what The King ordered us to do… we are executing your husband's orders, remember?" He whispered, and then looked suspiciously at their surroundings._

 _After he was sure that no one was around to spy on them, he continued." Please, my Queen… be quiet. Our enemy could be here already. We do not want to make it easy for them, do we?"_

 _She already wanted to object, but then the commander brought his face towards her ear." Please, Queen Anastasia… think about your son's safety." He pleaded, his voice trembling slightly." Prince Theodore's life is in danger just like yours… please, be quiet… I beg of you, my Queen."_

 _At that very moment, it dawned on Ana that the commander was right. She had to stop struggling… she had to stop working against her own men… she had to listen to the commander._

 _While a lonely tear rolled down her cheek, Ana whimpered softly and thought.' I have to accept that I may never see my love ever again'_

 _After that, Commander Sawyer nor 'the giant' had to tell Ana to calm down. She nodded and decided then to cooperate fully._

 _Relieved, the commander advised." Let's go. We don't want Captain Basil to sail away without us."_

 _"The ship, mama! So beautiful." They heard little Theodore say, when they reached the dock. He clapped in his hands and had a smile on his face._

 _Ana grabbed her little boy's hand and squeezed it lightly." Yes, my sweet boy… this ship will bring us to our uncle, the Duke." She whispered, her voice trembling heavily._

 _Her heart ached tremendously, assuming that their castle probably was overrun by barbarians by now. Her people had been murdered, and their enemy had plundered and burned the villages to the ground._

 _However, what pained her more than anything was leaving her husband, the King, behind…_

 _From a distance, the Captain had seen the little group of four and walked over to them._

 _"My Queen, please hurry." He said and hastily guided them onto the ship's deck._

 _The moment all of them were safely on board, the Captain instantly gave the orders to untie the ship and pull the anchor in._

 _Ana watched while feeling a gnawing and unbearable pain in her heart, as they sailed away from her land…_

 _"May we meet again, my love…" were the words that tumbled from her lips, thinking about the husband she had left behind…_

 _xxx_

 _"Captain Basil, show us Queen Anastasia's quarters." Commander Sawyer demanded, after he had given a huge bag of gold to the ship's captain._

 _The captain nodded and ordered two of his men to escort them inside the ship._

 _"This will be the Queen's sleeping quarters, commander." One of the men said and opened a door for them._

 _The giant, Ana and little Theodore walked into the small room─ well, it wasn't exactly a room, but it had a bed and other furniture, and he said." I will see if it's safe here, my Queen…"_

 _Without waiting for Ana's reply, he began to search the place, looking for any kind of possible threat._

 _Meanwhile, one of the captain's men spoke to Commander Sawyer._

 _"The captain asks if you also…" he began, but the Commander cut him off._

 _"No, 'the giant' and I won't need a separate space…" he remarked." We will stand guard in front of the Queen's door until we've reached our destination."_

 _One of the captain's men looked at Commander Sawyer with wide eyes, his mouth slightly open." But commander, it is a long journey! We will be sailing for more than ten days… **if** we get lucky and we don't encounter a storm."_

 _"We." Commander Sawyer responded, and pointed at 'the giant'." He and I have sworn an oath to the King… and we will honor it no matter what. We will protect the Queen and prince Theodore with our lives."_

 _At hearing that, the man nodded and knew that the Commander was being very serious._

 _"I understand, Commander." The two men replied and bowed._

 _"Should we bring food and water for the four of you now?" one of the two asked._

 _Commander Sawyer shook his head and replied." No, 'the giant' will go with you and fetch the food and water himself. We cannot be too careful."_

 _At hearing that, one of the two men narrowed his eyes at Sawyer." Don't you trust us, Commander?"_

 _Sawyer was just about to reply, when they all heard an ear-deafening noise._

 _Without hesitation Commander Sawyer and 'the giant' unsheathed their swords._

 _Sawyer then opened the door to the Queen's quarters and said." My Queen... stay here, lock this door and do not open it for anyone else but 'the giant' or me!"_

 _Without waiting for her reply, the Commander closed the heavy wooden door, while hearing one of the sailors shout._

 _"Take cover! We're under attack! We're under attack!"_

 _ **** End of Ana's memory****_

Ana gasped loudly, her eyes wide and she frantically began to look around.

"Ana?" she heard Christian say.

She had tears in her eyes, still feeling the gnawing pain in her heart...

Oh, God! Was it a memory?! Yes... yes, it was. Oh Gosh... It felt _so_ real.

'This time I experienced a memory, while being in someone else's presence!' were the words that bounced inside her skull, unable to wrap her head around it.

"Ana, are you alright?" Christian asked, his brows furrowed." You were in some kind of trance and mumbled that you had to help… The King? Ana?"

As those words reached her ears, Ana pulled herself from his grip and took a few steps back." I'm sorry, Christian." she began, and avoided his gaze." I don't know what came over me... I uhmm..."

"You don't have to apologize, Ana..." he said in a very convincing manner." It's OK."

She nodded at that, but then she gasped loudly." Christian, the fire!"

He nodded and said." Let's go... right now."

Ana grabbed her bag and phone, before storming out the door with Christian on her heels.

During the drive, Ana stared at a spot in front of her without saying a single word. From time to time, Christian threw her a glance but didn't want to intrude. He knew some shortcuts and swiftly drove the car, all the while being silent too. He assumed Ana was still a bit shocked by the fire and was processing it all.

Christian concentrated on the road ahead, and was getting worried about her.

Will she be able to process all of this?

At a certain point he drove passed the intersection and that's when he remembered what Ana had been saying, when he caught her in his arms not that long ago…

'Oh God! Oh my God…' were the words that swirled around his head, as it dawned on him that Ana had been mumbling the words: 'I have to go back! We have to help the King!'

Not only that, but Ana had also whispered: 'May we meet again...'

Christian maneuvered the car, while attempting to wrap his head around what he just discovered.

'Was it …? Was she …? Did Ana talk about _his_ previous life?' were the questions that constantly bounced inside his skull.

At one point Christian shook his head, unable to understand what just happened.

No… it couldn't. It can't… it was impossible…

He tried his best to put all the pieces together in his head, but then he was taken out of his thoughts by Ana's shaky voice. "You can park right here, Christian." He heard her say.

At that, he shook all those crazy thoughts off and did as Ana instructed.

As her eyes landed on the huge apartment building, Ana's heart dropped. Oh God!

Christian walked behind her and they both looked up. At one point the both of them stood on the sidewalk, and watched how the firemen desperately attempted to stop the fire from spreading. They managed with all their might to get the fire under control.

However, Ana's apartment and that of her neighbor was completely damaged. They were burned to the ground...

After waiting for more than one hour, Ana and Christian finally got a chance to have a conversation with the Captain of the Fire department.

"Captain Wheeler, how did the fire start?" Christian asked.

"We're still investigating, detective Grey. We don't know yet." the Captain replied.

He then looked at Ana and asked." Did you leave any appliances on, before leaving your place, Miss Steele?"

She shook her head at that." Captain, I always make sure that everything is turned off properly, before getting out my apartment." Ana pointed out." Last evening was no different, sir. I went home to grab some clothes and made sure that all appliances were turned off... I promise you, Captain Wheeler... this was not my doing!"

Ana was outraged, and couldn't understand he would think that the fire was her fault.

"This is not my fault!" she added, but then Christian placed a hand on her upper arm.

"Ana, the Captain is just doing his job, you know that right?" Christian said calmly, his eyes locked onto hers." He has to ask these questions. He's not accusing you of anything, OK?"

She let out a deep breath, after hearing him say that and closed her eyes for a few moments." OK, you're right." Ana replied and then looked at Captain Wheeler." I'm so sorry Captain, for reacting that way."

The older man nodded at her." It's understandable, Miss Steele." Captain Wheeler replied.

"Thanks for understanding, sir."

After that, Ana just stood there staring at the spot where her penthouse apartment used to be. While Christian continued his conversation with Captain Wheeler, her mind drifted off to all of her possessions. Ana had worked so very hard to have a nice apartment. And just in one blink, she had lost everything and was homeless!

Just as Ana was about to break down and cry, she noticed her father and Luke walking towards her.

They both looked worried, but that disappeared the moment the both of them saw Ana.

"Ana, you're alright!" her father said and then gave her an awkward hug.

The moment her dad had pulled away from their embrace, Ana asked." How did you know about the fire, dad?"

He smiled at Ana, relieved that his only daughter was fine. He then replied." The landlord of the building called and informed me about it, Ana sweetie."

She sighed and thought.' Ugh! Off course he called my dad, because two years ago I had given my parents' number up for emergencies.'

Ana's father hugged her once more, but this time it was a proper hug. He even had tears in his eyes." I'm so happy you're unharmed, sweetie." he said and grabbed her hand lovingly.

It was in that moment, when he noticed Christian.

"Hello, Mr. Steele." he said and gave Ana's dad a friendly nod.

All of a sudden the look on Ray's face changed, and that's when he gripped Ana's hand tighter.

"Thank you for looking out for my daughter, Mr. Grey." he remarked and then looked over to Ana." OK, sweetie. I assume they are going to investigate how the fire started. In the mean time, honey, you will stay with your mom and me."

"Good night, Mr. Grey." Ana's father said and turned his face the other way.

Christian couldn't believe what just happened and looked at Ana questioningly.

He looked really stunned by Ray's actions, and probably didn't understand why Ray acted so strange all of a sudden.

Ana's father practically dragged her away from Christian, while Luke followed suit.

She was still in shock about the fire and all the events, so Ana let herself be dragged away, leaving Christian behind.

The moment they had reached the limo, Ana looked back at Christian who was still watching her from a distance.

She noticed the frown on his face, and saw how he mouthed to her." What's going on?"

At seeing that, Ana realized in that moment that she didn't want stay at her parents' place.

"Dad, I can't go with you." Ana pointed out, her voice trembling slightly. I don't know where I will sleep for the night... Maybe at the studio or at Kate's, I'm not sure... All I know is that I don't want to be near you, mom or Luke until you guys tell me exactly what happened 15 years ago."

As those words reached her father's ears, he lost his patients with her." Ana, don't be stubborn! Get in the car, now!" he shouted, while glaring at his daughter.

Ana shook her head fiercely and tore her arm from his tight grip." No! I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm an adult and I run and manage my own photo studio ... and I assure you dad, I'm very good at it too!"

"Ana!" her dad warned, but she cut him off.

"I can pay you back, dad. You had given me a loan to start my own business, remember?" Ana pointed out, while her hands trembled slightly." I will give you the money back tomorrow, so I don't owe you anything anymore... I don't need you, dad. I love you very much and mom, but I can't trust either one of you!"

As those words tumbled from Ana's lips, Ray looked at her as if she was speaking a foreign language. At first he thought about leaving, because he didn't want to say or do anything he'd regret." You do what you want, Anastasia!" he shouted and was about to step inside the limo, when Luke stopped him.

"Mr. Steele, sir... you cannot let her go." Luke said and looked over to where Christian was standing in the distance." She will go to _him_! Think about _the_ agreement…"

While saying the last four words, Luke gave Ana's father a certain 'look'… for one split second you'd believe it was a threatening look. Ray got the subtle message, and that's why he instantly changed his mind and stood right in front of Ana.

"Why are you being so ungrateful?! Your whole life, I've given you everything that you wanted and this is the freaking thanks I get from you, little girl?" he snapped, the venom in his voice evident while looking Ana straight in the eyes." You want to talk about 15 years ago? Let's talk! Every night you had nightmares, so I did what I thought was right. After that, you didn't have any nightmares... So there! I did you a favor, my _dear_ daughter."

When those words reached Ana's ears, she totally lost it. Her eyes darted from her father to Luke and then they darted back towards her dad.

"Did you? Did you do it for _me_ or for Harvey and for yourself, dad? I heard you three talking that morning, OK! You, mom and Luke!" Ana said and pointed a finger at her ex-boyfriend." All three of you believe that I made up that story about Harvey!"

At that, her father held a hand up and warned." Ana, stop it n..."

But she mercilessly cut him off and continued." My dearest dad, did you really let my memory of that day be erased because you loved me so? Or because during that time you and Luke's father had put millions in Harvey's business?" Ana asked, her voice shaky." Because now I do remember that I begged you to go to the Police. If we went to the authorities and Harvey was arrested or convicted for doing God knows what to that poor girl, he would've lost his business...So tell me, dearest dad. Was my memory erased, because you couldn't let me suffer _or..._ because you didn't want to lose millions of dollars?!"

Ray had never before laid a finger on Ana, but after hearing her say those last words he completely lost it and slapped her very hard...

Ana gasped softly at the burning pain that her father had caused her, and placed a hand on her red cheek. It was right then, when she noticed Christian storming towards the three of them.

Without hesitation, he stood right in between Ana and her dad and shielded her with his body.

With a shaky voice, Ana pleaded." Let it go, Christian... please!"

Christian clenched both his hands into fists, attempting with all his might to hold himself back. At that moment, Ana noticed the storm that was raging behind his beautiful gray eyes...

He was furious!

Ana had never seen him like this before! With both her hands, Ana desperately gripped Christian on his wrist, attempting to calm him down. In her opinion, Christian looked like he was about to attack her father and use him like a freaking punching bag...

* * *

 **Note** : **OMG... he slapped her! Grrrr... Soo... What do you think, you all? Should Christian kick Ray's ass?!**

This was the chapter, my dear lovelies. ;)

Hit me with your thoughts please?

And... THANK YOU all so much for reading and reviewing.

You ROCK! ;)

We also went back in time again. Yay!

 _ **So, leave me a review, short or long? ;)**_

 _ **REVIEW! REVIEW! :)**_

Till the next one, you all...

 ** _J_**


	12. Mark my words, old man!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

 **This picks up right after what happened in chap 11**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **Mark my words, old man!**

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

* * *

 _He was furious!_

 _Ana had never seen him like this before! With both her hands, Ana desperately gripped Christian on his wrist, attempting to calm him down. In her opinion, Christian looked like he was about to attack her father and use him like a freaking punching bag..._

As she watched Christian intently, Ana had a feeling that he was about to lose his control.

'I cannot and will not let that happen!' she thought right then.' I have to protect my friend.'

"Christian... it's not worth it" she tried, and looked at him with pleading eyes." He's not worth it."

But he didn't react to her voice, the clouds above his head raging on and on. At that moment all Christian could think about was attack the man who had hurt his sweet Ana. Oh, he _so_ was gonna make her dad pay for hitting her!

In the back of his mind, Christian knew there would be consequences, if he would punch Ana's father. He knew that, and yet he didn't care.

'Fuck my job!' he thought.

At that moment Ana really _did_ want her father to pay for laying a hand on her, but she couldn't let Christian throw away his career... he meant too much to her. If he would hit him, she was certain her father would press charges against Christian... he would probably be suspended from work because of it. Or worse, Christian could get fired over the incident. And that was something Ana wanted to prevent.

'I won't allow it... I won't let my dad ruin Christian's career just out of spite.' were the words that bounced inside her skull.

Christian already made a move to get closer to her dad, when she said." Don't!" And then Ana grabbed his face with both her hands and kissed him hard on the lips.

At seeing that, Luke instantly closed his eyes and turned his face the other way, his ego bursting into little pieces. Ana's father clenched his hands into fists, unable to believe what his daughter was doing at that moment.

After a few moments though, Ana and Christian broke away from their passionate kiss. He locked eyes with her and gave her a disapproving look. Like he wanted to say.' You shouldn't have stopped me'

Ana cleared her throat, ignored her father and Luke and said to Christian." Let's go... I'm done here."

Christian nodded, but he wasn't finished with Ana's father. He took one step closer to Ray, and looked him straight in the eyes." If you _ever_ lay a finger on your daughter again, you will regret it!" he warned, while towering over Ana's father." Mark my words, old man... if you _ever_ hurt Ana again, I will break every single bone in your body! Is that clear?!"

Ray huffed at that, but in truth he was afraid. He believed Christian and so did Luke.

The both of them tried to hide their fear, but Ana knew them very well and noticed that they were afraid.

'Even I would be afraid, if I was one of them.' Ana thought, as she grabbed Christian's hand.

At that, he turned around and looked at her. Christian gently cupped her face, doing his best not to touch her cheek and looked her in the eyes."Hey, let's get out of here... Shall we?" He asked softly.

Ana nodded at that and walked away with Christian, leaving her dad and Luke behind...

 **xxx**

Approximately an hour later, Ana was lying in the airbed again with lots of blankets and pillows. Christian was sleeping in his own bed, after they 'argued' again who was going to sleep on his bed.

While her eyes were closed, her mind drifted off to the fire again. She wondered how it started, and hoped that the investigation won't last too long.

'Gosh, I hope that it wasn't set on purpose... maybe by Hyde the stalker?' Ana thought and let out a deep breath.

As she thought about Hyde, the hairs on the back of her neck instantly stood up.

Instead of falling asleep, Ana was consumed by all kinds of thoughts...

Why has her life become so difficult? Why must she deal with all kinds of different things at once?! Why?

The fire, her struggling relationship with her parents, Hyde, remembering what Harvey had done years ago, her father slapping her...

'I could just give up' was what she thought at one point, while a stubborn tear rolled down her cheek.

That was the easy thing to do. Right?

After a few seconds though, she shook her head fiercely. No, she didn't want to give up.

Why not? It was because of him... Christian.

No one had ever stood up for her like he had done. He was such a wonderful human being. What Christian had done for her, melted her heart and made Ana care more for him than before...

Knowing that Christian had her back, gave Ana the strength to push forward and face the challenges that came her way...

And as the minutes passed, she slowly felt at ease. Knowing that Christian was close by, Ana also felt very... safe.

At a certain point, her eyelids became very heavy, exhaustion taking over her body and mind.

So with that gorgeous, sweet man on her mind, Ana gradually drifted off to dreamland.

 **xxx**

The next morning, Ana woke up well rested. She still had her eyes closed, when she smelled something delicious. As her eyes fluttered open, Ana noticed that Christian was watching her with a big mug of coffee in his hand and in the other one, he was holding a plate.

When their eyes locked, he smiled at her." Good morning, Ana"

She smiled back at him, and whispered." Good morning, Christian"

At that, he handed her the tray, so she accepted it and placed it on the air bed.

All of a sudden, Ana sprung to life, jumped out of bed and stormed towards his bathroom to brush her teeth and run a comb through her messed up hair.

He was still smiling, when Ana walked back to the living room." Why did you run off like that, Ana?"

Instead of answering him, she plumped down on the air bed and began to eat her donut and drink the coffee.

Christian looked at her questioningly, so Ana explained." Well, I know I look awful when I just woke up. I didn't want to scare you with my messy hair... tell me, I must've looked terrifying, right?"

Christian burst out into laughter at hearing that, and shook his head." You most definitely do NOT look terrifying, Ana... Honestly, you look positively lovely with your long, shiny hair in a mess."

As their eyes locked once more, Christian looked her deep in the eyes, making Ana almost choke on her coffee. He had the power to just stare her down with those sparkling gray eyes, making her knees turn into jelly.

'Good thing that I'm sitting, because my knees would've failed me if I was on my feet' Ana thought at the moment.

"Does your cheek still hurt a lot, Ana?" Christian asked, and gave her a worried look.

She shook her head at that." No, it's fine now"

At hearing her answer, Christian nodded and said." Remember, Ana...I'm here for you, when you decide to talk okay?"

As those words reached her ears, Ana stopped chewing on her donut and then rested her hand on his shoulder." Yes, I know it's a lot to ask but please give me more time." Ana asked." I know after the way you defended me, you have the right to know what exactly happened between my parents and me. But pl…"

Christian interrupted her by putting his forefinger on her red rose lips. He smiled and said." I have all the time in the world... You can tell me the whole story, whenever you're ready and when the time is right, okay Ana?"

Ana could hear in his voice that he really meant it with her. That realization send shivers down her spine, making her want to hug Christian and never let him go. But... luckily Ana held herself back, because she didn't want to scare the guy.

She smiled instead, wondering how it was possible that a man could make her feel _so_ safe, whenever he was hugging her tightly...

After some major staring, Ana decided to get ready for work. "Thank you for breakfast, Christian..."

He nodded and said." You're welcome, Ana"

She then got up and walked over to the bathroom to take a shower and after, Ana changed into her work outfit. With her bag in her hand, she walked over to Christian and told him that she was leaving for work now.

"Have a nice day, Ana"

She smiled at that, and replied." You have a nice day also, OK?"

Ana then went straight to work.

When she arrived at the studio, Kate ambushed her with all kinds of questions. She wanted to know everything, so Ana told her the whole story...

Around noon, Ana went to the bank and took care of what she had promised her dad the previous night. She transferred the money from her account to his, so he couldn't claim to be part owner of the studio or something.

Ana really needed to be independent from him. For her photo studio that meant that she had to do a lot more photo shoots than she was used to. But that didn't matter; she needed to do this for her... she didn't want to rely on anyone, especially her father...

While driving towards her next destination, Ana thought about this morning.

Kate and Ana decided then that she was going to stay over at her place, whenever she needed to. The photo studio was a good option too though, because Ana could sleep there if it was too late to go to Kate's.

When Ana told Christian this morning that she planned on asking her assistant, if she could stay with her, he seemed to be disappointed. However, he didn't say a thing and only nodded.

 _" I don't want to be a burden to you, Christian... I'll sleep over at Kate's" she explained._

 _"You're not a burden to me, Ana" he simply said._

 _"Don't you worry about me, Christian... I'll be fine" Ana insisted._

 _He then joked how ecstatic Ana must be, because she now had an excuse to buy a lot of clothes and shoes._

 _Ana chuckled and said." Oh, you're so right about that... Shopping Spree!"_

She smiled, remembering how easy it was for her not only to talk with Christian about serious stuff, but also being silly around him and joke about her situation.

Ana's apartment was insured along with the contents of it, so that's why she was on her way to the insurance company right now.

When she arrived at her destination, she got out her convertible and locked it. Ana stepped into the building of the insurance company and only had to wait a few minutes. When it was her turn, she stepped into Mr. Smith's office and he told Ana that it was going to take some time for her to receive the insurance money.

She then asked him a lot of questions regarding her situation.

Satisfied by the way the insurance employee had treated her case and also his responses (he was very professional), Ana thanked him and left.

Before driving back to the photo studio, Ana called her assistant and told her to accept a lot more work than usual. She wasn't going to receive the insurance money any time soon, so Ana couldn't afford to be picky like she usually was. As long as they could manage the work load, Kate had to accept every single job their clients offered.

 **xxx**

After Ana had lunch, she went back to work and stayed till 8:30 in the evening. Kate and Ana worked till that time, because they had to collect as many checks as possible. After Ana had locked up the building, she drove to Christian's apartment, because she had promised to come over for dinner.

After dinner though, she planned to spend the night at Kate's.

But then suddenly, Ana felt a panic attack coming up... While furrowing her brows, she told herself to calm down. Ana then took deep breaths, attempting to extinguish the gnawing feeling in her gut.

Why though?

Why was she feeling this way all of a sudden? Ana felt miserable at that moment, the feeling in the pit of her stomach excruciating.

She wondered why she felt this way, but after a few minutes though, Ana knew why.

The reason why Ana felt this awful was this: she was going to leave the _safety_ that was Christian...

Like that wasn't enough to deal with, Ana also had an internal battle with herself. Her feelings for Christian had become stronger, but she was so torn about it. 'Should I tell him? Or not?' Ana wondered.

She didn't know if now was a good time or if it was even a good idea to confess her feelings to Christian. Ana didn't want to rush into things, because she also just got out of a long relationship. She always had trust issues before, but with this thing going on with her parents, it had gotten even worse.

Ana wanted to confide in Christian, she really did. And also she wanted to explain to him the reason why she had that huge argument with her dad, but Ana was afraid to do so.

She knew and felt in every bone in her body that she could trust Christian with _anything_ , and yet she convinced herself that she needed more time before doing it... just a little bit more. So, Ana decided to postpone telling him about Harvey, and how her parents gave someone permission to erase her memory, when she was just a child...

 **~ At Christian's ~**

Christian had ordered Chinese food, because Ana was going to come over for dinner. It didn't even cross his mind to cook again for her, because he wanted to prevent her from scolding him like the night before.

'She was right though; I needed the rest so my injuries could heal faster.' he thought, as he set up the dining table for two.

While waiting for Ana, the wheels in Christian's head started to turn.

He knew that his feelings for that beauty grew more every single day, and in truth he did want to tell Ana how he felt.

However, he also knew that he had to let go of Gia first. It's been so long and he hated feeling guilty, but he couldn't help it.

To Christian, it felt like he was betraying Gia and Gosh, this was driving him insane!

While an internal battle raged inside of him, he went to the study and grabbed a photo of Gia...

Christian thought very hard and decided then that maybe it was time for him to finally be happy. As a small smile played at his lips, Christian thought about that passionate kiss they shared...

Even though her father and ex were right there, in those moments Christian felt like during the kiss Ana had brought him away from all the chaos. That kiss had been passionate and literally breathtaking, one he'd remember for a long time. With nobody else before, had a kiss affected him like this. It was like he could feel every emotion in that one kiss...

With a goofy smile on his face, Christian gently put Gia's photo back in the drawer.

Maybe, maybe it was time to tell Ana how he felt about her... maybe it was time to move on.

"Knock, knock... anyone home?" he heard a voice say from the living room.

At that, Christian strode out the study and walked towards the living room. He came face to face with Ana, and without hesitation she closed the gap between them and gave him a hug.

Christian's eyes fluttered shut, and he held her tightly... 'She smells so good' he thought and kissed the top of her head.

After a few seconds they pulled away from the hug and she looked up to him." Man, I'm so freaking tired... and hungry!"

Christian chuckled at that and invited her to have dinner with him.

"Good! You ordered Chinese food, right?" Ana exclaimed and smiled at him." Thank you"

While she washed up, Christian sat at the dining table and waited patiently for her.

While eating the delicious food, Ana told him about her day up until now. Christian really admired her, because she was so fierce. In one blink she had lost everything she possessed and became homeless. And yet, Ana pushed forward and didn't give up. On the contrary, she fought and worked harder than before. She had told him that she even had given her father his money back.

'Wow... what a woman, so strong and fierce.' were the words that swirled inside his head, as he listened to Ana and enjoyed the food.

They really had a nice dinner and talked the evening away, both feeling so at ease, being in each other's presence. Even though Ana nor Christian wanted to admit it, deep down they both knew that they had a very strong connection, a bond that surely started centuries ago...

xxx

At the moment, Ana was busy packing her bag. Christian didn't want her to go, but he didn't want to force her to stay. So he didn't say a thing. With a coffee cup in hand, he sat on the couch, watching some TV show on Netflix.

After ten minutes or so, Ana walked into the living room, carrying her overnight bag with her.

As he locked eyes with her, he saw her smiling at him." So, Christian... this is it, I guess" she said.

He walked over to her, and when he stood right in front of her, Christian nodded." Be careful on the road, OK? And call me when you've arrived at Kate's place?"

"Off course I will" she replied.

While he locked eyes with Ana once more, he had the urge to stop her. Christian so wanted to say.' No, Ana... I don't want you to go. Please, stay.'

However, he didn't say those words aloud.

If she stayed, it should be because she wanted to and not because he begged her to do so.

So instead of asking her to stay, Christian gave her a smile and reluctantly said." OK, Ana... we will keep in touch, right?"

She nodded at that." Of course. I will come over tomorrow afternoon to check on you as usual."

Then Ana gave Christian a quick hug and she whispered." Laterzz"

"Later" he replied and watched, as Ana walked out the door, leaving him alone in his quiet apartment.

Christian stood silently in the doorway for a few moments, regretting already that he had let Ana go.

After a little while though, he decided to go to bed.

"I'll see her tomorrow... it's not the end of the world" he scolded himself, and just as he was about to turn off the TV, he heard the phone ring.

It was the landline.

Christian picked up the phone and from the other side of the line he heard a strange voice say." Do you want to know who set your precious girl's apartment on fire, detective Grey?"

 _ **~ One month later ~**_

At the moment Ana was taking photos for her client, Mr. Dawson. As she took the pictures, her mind brought her back.

A whole month had gone by after the night of the fire.

She and her father hadn't spoken to each other since then, but that wasn't something that bothered her... oh, not at all!

Her mother did contact her a couple of times, and she even visited Ana at the photo studio. But Carla did it without her husband knowing about it.

Ana didn't question that fact nor did she made a big deal about it. She was just glad that she could spend a little time with her mom. They talked about a lot of stuff, even about Christian. Honestly, Carla liked him a lot even though her husband didn't approve of Ana's friendship with Christian.

There was just one thing she and her mom never talked about though. The elephant in the room.

And that was?

Well, what happened 15 years ago off course...

Till this day, her mom didn't mention it nor did she attempt to talk about it. Ana just felt that it wasn't the right time yet...

 **~ Flashback~**

 _That evening, when she drove away from Christian's apartment to go to Kate's place, he received a very creepy call. A strange man asked Christian if he wanted to know who had set Ana's apartment on fire! But just as he was about to answer, the caller hung up the phone._

 _Christian immediately tried to call Ana, but the battery of her phone had died. So, he called Kate instead. The moment Ana arrived at Kate's, she told Ana to contact Christian right away. He told Ana about the creepy question the stranger had asked him._

 _"So I was right, Christian! I had a feeling someone had purposely set my apartment on fire!" was what she said through the phone, while she felt her skin crawl._

 _"You and Kate must lock all your doors and windows now, OK Ana?" Christian advised._

 _"Off course we will... Christian, did you recognize the voice? Was it Hyde maybe?" Ana asked in one breath, her voice shaky._

 _"I would've recognized his voice, Ana. So no, it wasn't Hyde... it was someone else." Ana heard him say, making her shiver all over from fear._

 _She didn't tell him, but Christian heard it in Ana's voice that she was afraid._

 _He immediately asked." Do you want me to come over now, Ana?"_

 _She hesitated, because she didn't want to be a burden._

 _"Ana?" he asked._

 _"I uhmm... I'm not sure..." she began, but he gently cut her off._

 _"Because you're hesitating, Ana... I'll make the decision for you, OK?" he said trough the phone." I'll call Taylor and ask him to bring me to you"_

 _"OK, that's a good idea" She replied and smiled, relieved that he was going to come over._

 _Within 25 minutes Taylor and Christian arrived at Kate's. The moment he stepped inside the apartment, Ana practically ran into his arms, almost knocking him over. They stood like that for a couple of moments, staring at each other, but then they both heard Kate clear her throat._

 _Ana reluctantly let go of Christian's hands, and listened what Kate had to say." Ana will sleep with me in the bedroom and Christian can use my sleeping bag to sleep in, OK guys?" Kate announced._

 _"Fine with me" Christian said._

 _"Good idea, Kate" Ana replied._

 _** End of flashback**_

That happened one month ago.

Christian did report the incident with the mystery caller, but after that one call, neither he nor Ana received a call like that again.

For Ana it was a relief that they hadn't heard from Hyde in a while. And yet, Christian was still cautious and asked Ana to be very careful.

She never went out alone, after dark. Ana was either with Christian or Kate, sometimes Taylor or Jose.

After three and a half weeks, Christian also went to work again, making him very happy... he was beyond ecstatic. Oh, he sure missed his job a lot!

He couldn't wait to work on cases again.

At the photo studio, business was going great. Kate took on more jobs, so Ana worked longer hours. Ana was still staying at Kate's and sometimes they slept at the studio, if it was too late to go home. During that month, Ana saw Christian every day. After work she and Kate went to his place and then they cooked together or ordered food and enjoyed each other's company.

This whole time, Ana kept saving money to buy a brand new apartment, because she still hadn't received the insurance money. After the investigation, the insurance company confirmed that the fire was indeed set purposely by someone. And yet, she still had to wait for the money.

Aside from that, Ana's life was going smoothly again, and she was really happy about it.

Well until today that is...

"Are you almost done, Miss Steele?" Mr. Dawson asked, as he walked over to Ana.

"Yes, almost Sir." she replied without looking at him.

"Good, Miss Steele" she heard him say." I'll be in my office if you need anything."

"Thank you" Ana said, and took the last photos for the day.

Mr. Dawson had given her an advance, making Ana smile from ear to ear, as she walked over to her convertible.

She was just about to get in the car, when Ana noticed someone watching her from a distance.

When she recognized the person, Ana instantly had the urge to throw up...

It was Harvey! That disgusting, old man...

Ana noticed how his eyes shamelessly and openly roamed over her whole body, making her blood boil." What are you doing here, Mr. Harvey? And what do you want from me?!" she spat, the venom in her voice evident and clear.

He closed the gap between them, and when he was right in front of her, he gave her a creepy smile.." Hi, gorgeous. You're such a beautiful young woman, Ana" he said." You truly are beautiful."

Ana looked at him with disgust in her eyes and said." Get the hell away from me!"

Harvey ignored her words and said. " I just want to talk to you, sweet Ana."

She was just about to turn around and get in her car, when she felt his creepy hand on her wrist." Where do you think you're going, beautiful Ana?"

She tugged at her arm harshly and shouted." Don't you fucking touch me, pervert!"

Harvey laughed at her, and took a step towards her, so they faced each other." We have to talk" he pointed out.

Ana reacted by throwing daggers at him with her eyes." We have nothing to say to each other." she remarked.

"Oh we do, Ana" he growled, and grabbed her roughly by her arm." We most definitely have to talk about what happened 15 years ago"

As those words reached her ears, Ana felt her blood run cold.

She instantly locked eyes with Harvey, and it was then when he slowly brought his disgusting lips to her left ear, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up." Do you want me to tell you what happened to that teenage girl from fifteen years ago, Ana?"

* * *

 **Note: OH MY GOD...**

 **So... tell me what you think?**

 **Leave me a review, short or long? ;)**

Thank you in advance, you all.

And also thank you for reading and reviewing. :)

You totally ROCK! ;)

Till the next one,

 **J**


	13. The daisies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

 **This picks up right after what happened in chap 12** **  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **The daisies**

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

* * *

 _As those words reached her ears, Ana felt her blood run cold._

 _She instantly locked eyes with Harvey, and it was then when he slowly brought his disgusting lips to her left ear, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up." Do you want me to tell you what happened to that teenage girl from fifteen years ago, Ana?"_

"I knew it! You... you... what did you _do_ to her, Harvey?" She asked and gave him a deadly glare.

If looks could kill, he would've fallen dead on the ground. But the look Ana gave him, didn't even affect him at all.

Instead of answering the question, Harvey gripped her tighter and dragged her away from her convertible.

At that point, Ana felt fear take over her." What did you do to her?! Tell me!" she shouted and tugged at her arm harshly, attempting to free herself from his tight grip.

However, Harvey was surprisingly strong and kept dragging her towards his car." Come on..." he hissed." You wanna know where she is?! I'll show you..."

Ana knew that the moment he would get her into his car, she'd be in big trouble. So, she began to call for help.

"Help! Someone, help me! This man is forcing me to get into his car! Please, help!"

"Shut your mouth, Ana!" Harvey growled, and kept dragging her away.

She was beyond terrified, but after a few moments though, Ana was able to get free and did the one thing Christian had taught her a week ago...

"Why you little..." Harvey began, but stopped mid-sentence, because he suddenly received a painful kick in his gut.

These last few weeks, Taylor and Christian had been teaching Ana some moves. Especially Christian was very determined to teach her to fight, because he wanted Ana to be able to defend herself whenever the situation presented itself.

And a good thing Christian had, because at the moment she was fighting the man who wanted to take her somewhere against her will.

Ana took a few steps back and glared at him." Don't you dare touch me..." she threatened.

"Why you little bitch!" Harvey shouted, and was just about to grab her again, but Ana used one of Christian's favorite moves and punched him in his face.

"Aargh!" Harvey wined, and began to bleed a lot." You fucking bitch... you broke it!"

Ana took her stance and gave him a disgusting look." "Good, I broke your nose! Does it hurt? I bet it hurts a lot..." she shouted.

"I'm so gonna ruin you and your business, Miss Steele!" he threatened, while grabbing a tissue from his car.

At hearing that, Ana held her head up high and looked him dead in the eyes." You're the one who's gonna get ruined, old disgusting man..." she fired back." See, now I've got confirmation from you that you did something to that teenage girl, that I didn't make that story up all those years ago. You're so screwed, pervert."

As he wiped away the blood from his face, Harvey laughed at Ana and said:" No one will believe you, little girl... look around you, no one else but you heard what I said about that teenage girl. I'm a powerful and influential man of this community... who will people believe, you or... me?"

At that, she wasn't able to reply.

He then laughed at Ana and got into his car and sped away.

 _ **~ Approximately fifteen minutes later ~**_

Ana arrived at the photo studio, and walked straight towards her office.

"Are you alright, Ana? Something wrong?" Kate asked, her brows furrowed.

Her assistant had a worried look on her face.

Ana hesitated for a moment and avoided Kate's gaze. "Uhmm... I'm fine." she replied and changed the subject." Here is the check I received from Mr. Dawson today"

Kate still wasn't convinced that Ana was fine, but didn't want to press the matter.

While handing the check over to her assistant, Ana hid her right hand from Kate. The last punch she had given to Harvey, not only broke his nose, but Ana had also hurt her hand in the process.

"I'll go to the bank first thing tomorrow morning, OK?" Kate said.

"Thanks, sweetie..." Ana replied, and smiled.

But she only smiled to hide the excruciating pain that she was feeling at the moment...

'Crap! My hand really, really hurts a lot!' Ana thought and closed the office door, so she could take care of her right hand...

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

At the moment Taylor, Jose and Christian were working on a case. They've been on this murder case for 3 days straight.

A high school gym teacher was brutally murdered. They questioned the wife, friends, family, his colleagues and the students of the victim and yet they were unable to get a break in the case.

He seemed like an outstanding guy and they all seemed to like the deceased. Everybody was shocked that he was brutally murdered and no one they've spoken to, had a clue who would want to murder the man.

The janitor had been the one who discovered the victim's body and the medical examiner confirmed to Christian that the teacher had been shot 2 times in the chest.

It was a good thing the students didn't see the body, because the crime scene was really bloody.

After finding the body, the janitor immediately had called the Police.

At the moment Taylor and Jose were at the morgue, because the medical examiner had discovered something on the body that wasn't there 3 days ago. She also had found out what kind of gun the killer had used.

While the others were at the morgue, Christian was in his office, checking the finances of the victim. There was nothing out of the ordinary. He had some life savings, but other than that, nothing unusual. He had a normal income, like every other high school gym teacher.

After a while though, Christian got up and went to the men's room. He splashed his face with some water, attempting to get rid of the exhaustion that he was experiencing. Since he started working again, Christian worked non-stop, solving every case he could get his hands on.

So, yes. At the moment he was exhausted...

After a few minutes he went back to his office and took a seat in his chair again, working the case on his computer.

But then all of a sudden, he had to think about that blue-eyed beauty.

Ana...

Christian had known her for two whole months now and even he had to admit... he had fallen in love with Ana.

Deeply. Very, very deeply... that was something he no longer could deny.

He had tried to convince Ana in a very subtle way that she could trust him with whatever is going on in her life. However, she hadn't opened up to him yet... not completely anyway.

He could recall that there were moments, if she thought no one was looking, she would let her guard down.

At moments like those, Christian noticed that Ana had a certain look on her face... Like something horrible was haunting her, but that look disappeared as fast as it came. Especially, when Ana realizes that Christian was observing her.

He only wished that she would confide in him. He'd give anything and do anything to take all her sorrows and pain away.

'I hope she knows that.' was what he thought.

Christian wasn't able to give Gia what she deserved, when they were together all those years ago. In his opinion, Gia deserved so much, but fate decided differently...

And now with Ana, it's like he had received a second chance to make things right. To do everything in his power, so that Ana _does_ get all the good things she deserved in life. And that _he_ could be the one to take all her heart aches and pain away.

If only Ana would let Christian in and trust him completely.

He was so sure that he was able to help her, she only had to take that leap and trust him.

Kate once told Christian that people that she trusted with her life, had betrayed Ana in such a brutal manner. And that's why she had trust issues...

Christian just hoped that Ana found it in her heart to let him in.

And also, he really hoped she didn't wait too long...

All of a sudden, he was taken out of his thoughts by a phone ringing loudly.

Taylor had called to tell Christian that he and Jose were still at the morgue, waiting for the medical examiner. She was still busy with tests, and doing her best to get the results ASAP.

"It's gonna take a lot longer than we expected, Grey..." he had told Christian.

"It's fine. Take your time, Taylor. In the mean time, I'll go to the high school to check out the victim's office." Christian said.

"Why are you going there again, Grey?" Taylor asked.

"It was broken into the night before, but don't you worry... I'll investigate." Christian said." You and Jose stay there until the medical examiner has the results, OK?"

"We'll do." Taylor replied and then ended the phone conversation.

Christian got up, grabbed his coat and walked out the door.

xxx

When he arrived at the high school, he was greeted by the principal.

"How far are you with the investigation?" She asked worriedly.

"Don't you worry, principal Liu... We will get to the bottom of it." Christian stated.

After speaking to the woman for a few minutes, he walked over to the victim's office.

From the looks of it, someone had been here not long ago and had been searching for something in the office. The place was completely trashed!

At that, Christian wondered who it was and what they were looking for. Maybe it had been the murderer.

Crap!

As Christian investigated the office, he searched for clues. Maybe the intruder hadn't been careful enough and left something behind... something Christian could use.

From the looks of it, the intruder really must have been desperate to find what he or she was looking for. Everything was turned upside down. Christian searched the place for more than 1 hour. And it was then, when he found something important. It was a phone number on a very small piece of paper. He had pulled out both drawers of the desk and found it taped at the bottom of the desk table.

"A phone number." Christian whispered, and decided to call said number.

After three rings, a woman picked up the phone.

"Hello, I'm detective Grey from the Seattle Police department. Who am I speaking to?" he said into the phone.

"Hi, my name is Annette Graham... I work here in Mindy's Bar." she said from the other side of the line.

"What's the address of this bar, Miss?" Christian asked, so she gave it to him and they ended the phone conversation.

As he wrote down the address, Christian wondered why the victim would hide the number of a bar that securely.

This was very odd and in his opinion, could be the break in the case he and the guys had worked for.

Could it have something to do with drugs? Was the victim involved with it?!

Christian shook his head at that, thinking about the victim's innocent wife and kid. She probably knew nothing about this.

After searching the place for ten more minutes, Christian decided to go back to the Precinct.

He put the piece of paper in his coat and walked out the office. Later that evening, Christian planned on going with Taylor or Jose to that bar to investigate. At this point, he was positive about solving the murder case.

"Let's see what we can find out in that bar." he whispered, and was just about to open the car door, when his phone rang.

It was Kate's number.

"Hello, Kate... everything alright?" he said into the phone.

She hesitated for a second, but then answered him." Uhmm... I'm not sure, Christian. Ana has been acting really weird, after the photo shoot she did at Mr. Dawson's..." he heard her say from the other side of the line.

"What do you mean, she's acting 'weird'?" he asked, and furrowed his brows.

"Well, the first thing I noticed is that she was trembling... and then how she changed the subject, when I asked her if she was fine... and then I noticed how she was trying to hide her right hand or something."

"What do you mean, Kate? Did Ana hurt herself?" he asked, very concerned.

"That's the thing... I don't know. Maybe I'm being too protective after all she's been through and I'm just over analyzing?" Kate asked." Uhmm... sorry, Christian. I shouldn't have called y..."

But he cut her off gently." No." he said and shook his head." You did the right thing... I'm gonna come over to the studio right away."

"OK, that's good... thank you, Christian." she said.

"Thanks for calling me, Kate... you're a very good friend. Thank you" he told her and then ended the phone conversation.

 _ **~ At the photo studio ~**_

While Kate was busy handling some clients, Ana was in her office. She had locked the door and sank onto the couch. It became all too much for her to take, so she let the tears flow that she had been holding for a while. Ana didn't know what to do. It's been 15 years, and yet it still haunted her, what happened that day...

Harvey _did_ drag that poor, blonde teenage girl into his car... he admitted to Ana that he knew what had happened to that girl.

And yet, she was powerless, because no one was there, when he confessed.

And from the looks of it, no one will believe her if she talked about it. Harvey was very influential, and Ana had no proof whatsoever.

"Fuck!" she cursed under her breath, and frantically wiped away her tears.

After a little while though, Ana told herself to suck it up and decided to get more work done...

She was busy selecting the photos she wanted to use for the catalog, when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Kate, is that you? You can come in." Ana said without even looking up." Come help me with these 2 photos... I don't know which one to pick."

"I can help you choose, but I'm afraid photography is not my expertise, Ana" She heard a familiar voice say.

At that, Ana's head instantly snapped towards the person." Christian." she uttered, and gave him a small smile.

"Hey." he replied and closed the gap between them." I came as soon as I was able to... the guys and I, we are working this murder case and I wasn't able to get to you sooner."

Ana got up from her chair and locked eyes with Christian." What... uhmm, what are you doing here? Aren't you needed at the Precinct?" she asked and attempted to hide her right hand from him.

"Ana?" he said and looked at her questioningly." What's wrong? And why are you hiding your hand from me?"

As those words reached her ears, Ana avoided his gaze and tears pooled in her eyes.

'Why does he always see right through me?' Ana thought, and then felt his warm hand cupping her face.

"Look at me, please?" she heard him say, the tone of his voice so pleading.

She shook her head, and was unable to hold back the tears.

Christian lovingly used both his hands to cup her face, and gently traced her cheek lovingly." I cannot leave you like this... tell me what happened, sweetie." he asked.

At that, Ana showed Christian her right hand.

His eyes instantly went wide and then he gently examined it." Who the hell hurt you, Ana?" Christian roared, his voice very, very low.

"Well, I uhmm... no one hurt me. It was Harvey though... uhmm, he tried to force me to get into his car, so I uhmm... I defended myself and kicked him in the gut!" Ana explained.

While saying that, Christian was certain he heard pride in Ana's voice.

"You did what? And who is Harvey exactly?!" he said, and carefully checked her hand.

It was still bleeding a little.

"You kicked him and your hand got injured?!" Christian asked.

Ana shook her head and replied." No, after I kicked him, I used that move you taught me and punched him... I'm pretty sure I broke his nose."

Yup, Ana was proud that she was able to defend herself against that disgusting pervert.

"Ana, it hurts a lot, doesn't it? We need to get you to the hospital right away..." Christian demanded." You could've sprained it. Let them make an x-ray to be sure. Let's go, Ana."

He already was pulling at Ana's left hand, but she refused.

"Yes, it hurts but I took care of it... the swelling is almost gone, see?" Ana tried to convince him.

He sighed deeply at that, and said." Let's take a seat... did you put ice on it right away?"

"Yes, I did."

"Did you swallow some pain killers?" he asked.

"Uhuh... yes, Christian."

While he carefully examined her hand for the fourth time, Ana watched Christian.

Gosh... he was so attentive and was truly worried about her.

'He really, truly cares about me' were the words that swirled around her head right then.

As Ana attempted to swallow the huge lump in her throat, she said." Christian, I'll be fine."

Relieved, he let out a deep breath and locked eyes with her again." You're sure, Ana... you don't need medical..." he began, but she cut him off gently.

"I'm sure." Ana replied, and gave Christian a loving look.

A lock of hair had fallen in her face, so he gently brushed it away.

"Christian" she whispered and cupped his face with her left hand.

As her warm hand connected with his face, Christian's eyes fluttered shut." Ana..." he uttered, his voice so desperate it made her heart melt.

"Yes?" she replied, her voice breaking.

Christian's eyes opened and then he looked at her." I can't bear it, when you get hurt... don't you get that?" he confessed." You mean so much to me, Ana..."

Christian lightly grabbed her hand that was resting on his cheek and traced it lovingly with his fingers.

Ana held in her breath, while looking at him.

She was seeing so much of him right now... And that terrified her tremendously.

Ana knew in that moment that it was too late... She already had fallen for Christian Grey.

At one point, he squeezed her hand gently and brought it towards his lips. His eyes fell shut, and then Christian kissed her hand with _so_ much warmth and intensity, she swore the excruciating pain in her other hand disappeared instantly...

After a minute or so, Christian opened his eyes and looked at her." Now tell me all about this _Harvey_... tell me **_exactly_ ** what he said and what _he_ did to you today." he said, the venom in his voice evident and oh so clear.

At hearing Christian's tone, the hairs on the back of Ana's neck immediately stood up, while her throat went dry.

 ** _~ Meanwhile, at Ray Steele's office ~_**

Around this time, Ray Steele was usually still in his office, working. However, today wasn't like any other workday to him.

This morning around 5 AM he woke up startled again, because of another nightmare he had.

It's been years since Ray had these nightmares. But he began to have them again recently.

When he thought that the secret was going to come out, Ray was terrified and began to have the nightmares again. However, more than one month ago, a man came to visit him in his office at work and assured him that their secret was safe once more. He had put the object on Ray's desk, but put it back into his pocket just as Ray was about to grab it.

When the man left, Ray was plagued with mixed feelings. He was relieved that their secret won't come out, but also disappointed that he still had to live with it... probably till the day he died.

He had to carry that heavy burden with him for the rest of his life, and couldn't even tell his wife about what had happened then. He surely couldn't tell his daughter, Ana...

Ray was doomed to live with it and he wasn't sure if he was able to do so. He has lived with it for so long and became desperate at one point.

His still wasn't on speaking terms with Ana, making life harder for him than it already was. As he thought about his daughter, a stubborn tear escaped his eye. God, he missed Ana so much! No matter what happened between him and his daughter, Ray still loved her so much!

She had been his light for so long... if only Ana understood that.

Yes, he knew that he had been wrong to give someone permission to erase her memory, but that was in the past. He couldn't do anything about it now.

And of course Ray knew he had acted horribly to Ana these passed weeks, but there was so much at stake here... he didn't have a choice really. More people were involved and they were all powerful. Even if he decided to come clean, there were others who would do things... even horrible things to prevent the truth from coming out.

He was hundred percent certain of that.

As a sigh escaped his lips, Ray got up from his chair and decided then that it was time to visit 'her'.

He threw a quick glance at the clock, and grabbed his suit case and phone. With a huge lump in his throat, Ray walked out his office and took a seat in the limo.

"Where to, sir?" his chauffeur asked politely.

"Home." Ray replied." My wife is visiting her best friend and won't be back till tomorrow, so can you also call Benito and tell him to cook dinner for just me."

"Of course, Mr. Steele." his employee replied, and drove towards the mansion.

 **xxx**

At the moment Ray walked into his luxurious bathroom. He took a warm shower, while all kinds of horrible memories haunted him. After getting dressed, he looked at his own reflection in the mirror. He now wished that he didn't experience what happened _15_ years ago. He now wishes that he made a different choice then. Thinking about what happened, made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, while that familiar, gnawing guilt ate at him...

No matter what he did or how hard he tried, Ray couldn't get that horrible sight out of his head. He remembered it like it just happened yesterday. He still remembered his own fear and also the terrifying looks on their faces...

That day, Ray was with two other men... two men he began to loathe these past years.

A long time ago, he considered them to be his friends, but not anymore. They were evil men, one more evil than the other.

Ray had been keeping their secret for so long... Did that mean that he himself was evil too?!

The three of them did **everything** in their power to keep the secret from coming out. And also, the three of them had done terrible things to keep it.

He was tired of it though... the secrets and the piles of lies.

But from the looks of it, the two others didn't feel the same way.

Ray knew that those two were going to prevent the truth from coming out.

Again and again...

Weren't they tired of all the lies?! Guess not...

Ray however, was more than tired of lying and keeping the big secret. He was exhausted!

At one point though, he felt a head ache coming up, so Ray decided to stop thinking about them.

As he walked towards the living room, Ray looked at the photos in the long hall...

Photos, Ana had taken of them through the years.

God... he truly missed his little girl, his little Ana.

When he reached the living room, he fixed himself a drink and finished it within minutes.

"It was time." he whispered and then strode out the mansion.

Ray slid behind the wheel of his very expensive car and drove away...

Only once a month, he didn't use his limo and it was always this day of the month.

While attempting to swallow the huge lump that had formed in his throat, Ray drove to 'that' place. The place he wished he didn't have to go to. But for years now, he went there once a month. He always brought daisies with him, because she loved daisies. Tears welled up in his eyes, when Ray thought about the terrible thing that happened **_15_ ** years ago.

 _ *** FLASHBACK***_

 _ **It was after midnight, when Ray received the call.**_

 _ **"I'm having a good time now. Plus, I cannot leave my own dinner party... my wife is gonna kill me if I do." he told the person who called.**_

 _ **However, from the other side of the line, Ray noticed how terrified his friend sounded, and that's why he decided to leave his dinner party.**_

 _ **The two of them were really scared out of their minds, they had told Ray afterwards.**_

 _ **When he told Carla that he was gonna leave for only half an hour, she wasn't too happy about it and had asked who was going to help her with entertaining the guests. But without explanation, he gave her a peck on the lips and said." I'll be right back, honey."**_

 _ **Ray grabbed his car keys and even waved at his wife, before walking out the front door.**_

 _ **That decision... well, it changed his life forever.**_

 _ **Ray drove to his friend's house and the moment he arrived, a very, very bad feeling washed over his whole being.**_

 _ **Something was wrong...**_

 _ **While walking into the living room, he assumed that something horribly had gone wrong...**_

 _ **The second he saw his two friends, Ray asked." What happened? What was so important that you guys had to drag me all the way over here in the middle of the night?!"**_

 _ **As he said that, he immediately noticed the fear in their eyes and how pale their faces were.**_

 _ **Never before had Ray seen his two friends so terrified.**_

 _ **When neither of them gave him an answer, Ray got worried and repeated his question." What happened? Tell me, guys!"**_

 _ **Instead of answering the question, one of his friends grabbed Ray by his arm and dragged him to the other room.**_

 _ **The room was dark, because the lights weren't on.**_

 _ **Ray was just about to repeat his question, but then... then his eyes landed on it.**_

 _ **One of his friends had turned on the lights, so Ray was finally able to see for himself what all of this was about...**_

 _ **The moment he saw her, Ray wanted to throw up. All of a sudden, it seemed like the room started to spin, while it became very hard for him to breathe...**_

 _ **At a certain point, Ray started to tear up.**_

 _ **He watched in horror at the sight before him, and helplessly shook his head." What have YOU two done?!"**_

 _ *** END of FLASHBACK***_

Without realizing it, tears were rolling down Ray's face. The memory had been haunting him for years now. And it was still a huge plague to him. That night was the worst night in his life, one he could never ever forget.

He really wished that he didn't see. He wished that they didn't call him, but most of all he wished that he listened to his wife and stayed at the dinner party with her. His decision to leave the dinner party had horrible consequences, and God, he wished he had stayed home...

After a few minutes, Ray arrived at the place and frantically began to wipe away his tears. As a sigh escaped his lips, he grabbed the bouquet of daisies. While his heart rammed against his chest, he got out of the car and walked to his destination.

The moment he arrived there, Ray put the daisies at their usual spot. For so many years, he had done this on every last Saturday of the month. His two ' _friends_ ' called him crazy for doing this, but he hadn't missed a day yet.

Even if he was sick or had to work, he never missed his visit to her...

"I have brought you your favorite flowers..." Ray said, and took a seat.

* * *

 _ **Note: Thank you all so much for reading and the wonderful support.**_

 _Your reviews mean the world to me, you all. I hope you know that. ;)_

So, that was chapter 13. What do you think?

 ** _Leave me a review, short or long?_**

Till the next one,

J


	14. Till my last breath

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

 **This picks up right after what happened in chap 13** **  
**

 **And also, Ana's memory here is a continuation of her memory in ch 11.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **Till my last breath**

 **xxx [[[]]]xxx**

* * *

 _"Now tell me all about this Harvey... tell me exactly what he said and what he did to you today." he said, the venom in his voice evident and oh so clear._

 _At hearing Christian's tone, the hairs on the back of Ana's neck immediately stood up, while her throat went dry._

He watched her intently, while a thousand thoughts swirled inside her head. Ana knew damn well that she could trust the man who was standing in front of her... She felt it in every fiber of her being, and yet she was unable to let him in.

"Ana?" he asked, while furrowing his brows." You can trust me... you know that, right?"

While tears pooled in her eyes, Ana nodded but didn't say anything and then broke eye contact with him. After being lied to by her parents her whole life, it was so difficult to open up to someone new. Her gut and heart were telling her to trust Christian, but Ana was so afraid of being betrayed once more. So, with pain in her heart she locked eyes with him again and lightly shook her head.

"Ana? Please, tell me." She heard him whisper, while he looked at her with pleading eyes." I'm not like him, you know... I'm not like your ex-boyfriend... or your father. Don't you know that?"

"Christian... I uhumm... I.." She stammered, and unintentionally pulled her hand back roughly, because he had mentioned her father.

Ana's cheek didn't hurt any longer, and yet it was as if Ray had slapped her not so long ago... Her dad, the man she used to call 'her hero'...

At that moment, Christian felt so rejected by the one he'd do anything for. As the seconds passed, he felt his heart contract in his chest, the ache unbearable.

"Why are you still doing this? Why do you keep shutting me out, Ana? After all that we've been through... I don't understand. Why don't you trust me? "He asked, his voice trembling heavily, while he shook his head lightly.

"Chris..." Ana began, but then she heard an urgent knock on her office door.

"Come in." she said, and cleared her throat.

Kate opened the door and gave Ana and Christian an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but there's a man impatiently waiting for you at the front door, Ana. He says he urgently needs to speak with you."

Ana furrowed her brows at that. "Well, why don't you escort him to my office then?" she asked, then added." Who is he, Kate? What's his name?"

"I don't know who he is, Ana... he refuses to come inside and won't tell me anything other than that he needs to speak with you."

"Let me go first, Ana." Christian suggested." I wanna make sure this man isn't a thread to you."

Ana hesitated for a split second, so Christian gently placed a hand on her upper arm." I know you can defend yourself now... you proved it today by breaking Harvey's nose instead of him hurting you..." he pointed out." However, we still have to be very cautious, Ana. What if Hyde is behind this?"

At hearing that, she nodded." You're right... I think it's best if you talk to the man first."

 **xxx**

Ana tapped nervously at her desk, while waiting impatiently for Christian to return. Who was the mysterious man? And what did he want exactly? Why was he here? Dozens of things bounced inside her skull, but Ana only had questions but not one single answer.

At one point she had enough of waiting and got up from the chair. "Enough!" She muttered under her breath, and strode out her office door.

While walking through the gallery, Ana's heart thumped wildly against her chest. She heard voices coming from outside the building, so she assumed Christian was still out there, confronting the mysterious man.

When she reached the front door, Ana listened closely to their conversation.

"No! I do not care if you're a detective... I will not give you any information! I have to speak with Miss Steele, and with Miss Steele only." Ana heard a man with a thick accent say from the other side of the door.

The man then began to speak a foreign language, one she didn't understand.

"If you don't tell me now what you want with her, you'll regret it!" Christian threatened.

Ana stayed frozen at her spot, too afraid to do anything. From the other side of the door the man kept talking... well, he probably was cursing in his own language, cause the tone of his voice changed.

Ana gasped softly, her hand over her mouth as it dawned on her that she recognized the accent... She knew the man!

"I have enough of this!" Ana heard Christian shout.

At that, she swung the front door open." No! Christian, wait!"

Both Christian and the man turned their heads, as Ana stormed out the door. She grabbed Christian's wrist and locked eyes with him." I uhmm, I think I know him..." She whispered.

"Who is he?"

Ana grabbed Christian's hand with trembling fingers, and opened her mouth to respond. But just as she was about to answer the question, the mysterious man placed the palm of his hand over Ana's forehead.

"You _need_ and you **_will_ ** forget all that happened 15 years ago, Anastasia." The man with the thick accent demanded with a calm voice.

As those words reached her ears, Ana gasped loudly, her eyes wide and full of tears, while her other hand grabbed Christian on his upper arm, and the other squeezing his hand so tightly, it hurt him.

Before Christian could process or comprehend what had happened, the mysterious man walked away from them with huge strides.

"You! Stop right where you are!" he tried, but the man already disappeared around the corner.

He felt so powerless, unable to prevent the man from leaving, while holding Ana in his arms.

"Chris-tian…" he heard Ana say, her voice so soft.

"Ana! Are you OK? Ana?!" Christian shouted, and watched in horror as her beautiful, teary eyes slowly fell shut.

"Ana… what did he do to you?!" Christian asked, and held her tightly to him." Who is that man, Ana?"

She heard how he was calling her name, pleading for her to open her eyes. But no matter how hard she tried, Ana was unable to open her eyes…

 ****Ana's memory****

 _My Queen... stay here, lock this door and do not open it for anyone else but 'the giant' or me!" Commander Sawyer demanded, and closed the heavy wooden door._

 _Before she could respond, she heard a loud click. Terrified of what would happen next, Queen Anastasia grabbed her son and told him to hide in a wooden box._

 _"Stay here, my precious Teddy." Queen Anastasia whispered, her voice trembling heavily._

 _"Why mommy?" he asked, as he looked up at her with those big beautiful eyes." Are we playing a game?"_

 _The Queen nodded, and even though fear crept up on her and she didn't know if the Commander nor 'the giant' were still alive or not, she smiled and replied." Yes... it is a game my sweet boy..."_

 _At hearing that, her son clapped and did as his mom instructed._

 _"I'll be right here, my sweet boy... please, do not get out of this box till I say so, OK?" Queen Anastasia asked, while pushing back the tears._

 _"What's that noise, mama? Are people fi..." he began, but she cut him off gently._

 _"No... they aren't fighting... it's a game, r'member?" Queen Anastasia pointed out." Be quiet and don't get out till I say so."_

 _He nodded, and then sat inside the wooden box. Relieved, Queen Anastasia closed the box and hastily grabbed her weapon to defend her son and herself. As she held her sword in her hands, Ana's heart raced a million miles an hour, waiting for what might barge through that wooden door, remembering how her husband had thought her how to fight._

 _She was beyond terrified, and wasn't sure if she would survive this attack, but one thing she did know... Is that she, Queen Anastasia, was going to fight till her last breath... she was going to protect her son with her life, like her two men were protecting her._

 _"Till my last breath..." She whispered, as tears pooled in her eyes, and taking her fighting stance._

 ** _~Three days later ~_**

 _While 'the giant' set up some kind of tent for her and little Theodore, Queen Anastasia watched as Commander Sawyer gave the farmer silver coins in exchange for the three horses and some food._

 _"Don't you worry, lord… my lips are sealed." The old farmer insisted, as he accepted three extra silver coins from Commander Sawyer." I will not tell a soul about you all passing through here."_

 _"Thank you, good sir." The commander replied, and gave the old man a short nod._

 _Queen Ana was quiet the whole time, as she observed her surroundings, watching the night sky and looking up at the full moon. She shivered from the cold, not used to the weather in this foreign place. When she fled her castle, Queen Ana brought proper clothes, but still they couldn't keep her warm._

 _At that very moment Queen Anastasia's hand began to tremble heavily, while she was being plagued by the bloody, horrible images of what had happened on the ship three days ago..._

 ** _Even when she closed her eyes, Ana could still see all the dead men from the ship. Commander Sawyer and 'the giant' had survived the attack from the barbarians, and so did she and her son._**

 ** _But Captain Basil was dead, and so were most of his men._**

 ** _With the help from two of Basil's men though, the Commander and 'the giant' mended the ship as best as they could._**

 ** _The Queen insisted on helping with the dead bodies, but Commander Sawyer refused, telling her that she had to look after little Theodore._**

 ** _"Why don't YOU look after him until I've done what I know my husband would do, if he were here!" The Queen remarked, so he had no choice than to follow her order._**

 ** _Nobody was going to prevent her from taking care of the men who had died for her and her son..._**

 ** _So, at the end of the day when they were done with taking care of the dead, the Queen cleaned the floors of the ship. Blood, only blood and guts everywhere... Even though her white dress turned red from the blood that was spilled, the Queen pushed back her tears and continued cleaning the ship, praying for the fallen, praying for their souls..._**

 _Finally, after three whole days, Queen Anastasia let her tears flow, while cradling little Theodore in her arms. The boy was sound asleep. He was asking continuously for his father, so she told him a white lie, saying that they were going to see daddy very soon._

 _"Queen Anastasia." she heard a voice say from behind her._

 _Ana gasped softly, startled by his thundering voice, not expecting 'the giant' to stand so close to her all of a sudden._

 _"The tent is ready, my Queen… I've put blankets on the floor, so you and the Prince can sleep on it." he pointed out." It's not that comfortable, but at least it's warm compared to the outdoors._

 _The Queen frantically wiped away her tears, and cleared her throat." Thank you so much, kind sir." She replied, and carried her son into the small tent._

 _After kissing little Theodore on his forehead, the Queen caressed his cheek and sighed deeply." Don't you worry, my child... we will arrive soon at your father's uncle... the Duke." She whispered." We'll be save there..."_

 _She then walked out of the tent and decided to wash her face, before going to sleep._

 _"Do you need anything, my Queen?" she heard a voice say from behind her._

 _Queen Anastasia turned around and noticed how Commander Sawyer was nursing his wound. During the battle he got hurt, but it wasn't life threatening._

 _'The giant' was hurt too... He needed a healer sooner than later, but of course he acted like he wasn't hurting and insisted that his wound was superficial. However, the Queen saw and dressed the wound herself and knew they had to hurry to get him to a healer._

 _"May I help you with your wound, Commander?" The Queen asked Sawyer._

 _He immediately shook his head, and replied."There's no need for that, my Queen... I," he began, but she ignored what he said and helped him clean and dress the wound anyway._

 _At that, the Commander let out a deep sigh, knowing that the Queen was going to help him even if he declined._

 _Commander Sawyer watched in silence, as Anastasia took care of his second wound._

 _"Do you know what the penalty is for staring at the Queen, Commander?" Ana said, not even looking him in the eyes._

 _"Forgive me, my Queen... please." he apologized, and looked the other way._

 _"The penalty is death" they both heard 'the giant' say from a distance._

 _The Queen smiled for a split second, and said." Thank you for clearing that up for me, giant"_

 _"Forgive me, my Queen... I'm just in awe... and all this time... I thought that uhmmm..." he began._

 _"You thought that I'm 'a damsel in distress' kind of woman?" the Queen asked, her right brow raised._

 _"Forgive me, my Queen..." the Commander pleaded once more._

 _Anastasia nodded and locked eyes with him." I'm done, Commander... You're as good as new" She replied, and was just about to walk towards the bucket of water, when Sawyer cleared his throat and then added._

 _"Forgive me for what I'm about to say, my Queen... please don't have my head for it... But I admire how you handled yourself at Basil's ship, my Queen... You are very brave, and you have such a kind heart."_

 _As those words reached her ears, Queen Anastasia's body began to tremble once more, her throat closing up, while she let her tears flow freely." I am not brave! I am not! Those 22 men on Captain Basil's ship... they are the brave ones! And they... they..." the Queen said, unable to finish her sentence._

 _Her whole body shook from her loud sobs, while she sank down on the cold, hard earth." They died because of me! Because I was on that ship! It is my fault!" She sobbed, and got on her knees." And Captain Basil... he... I..."_

 _The Commander watched in horror at the Queen, not knowing what to do. He wanted to console her, but it was against the law... the penalty was death._

 _He couldn't watch her suffer any longer, so the Commander close the gap between them and grabbed her hand." Please, my Queen... you need to get up."_

 _She looked up at him and shook her head fiercely." I killed Captain Basil... I killed him..."_

 _He shook his head at that." No, my Queen... you did not... you freed him from pain." he insisted." You found him first in between all the dead bodies, my Queen. If you hadn't, 'the giant' or I would've done the same thing... Captain Basil wouldn't have survived, cause his wounds were fatal... and he knew that too. That's why he asked you to give him mercy... and to liberate him"_

 _At that, the Queen roughly pulled her hand back and sobbed." I killed him... He's dead and so are his men... it's my fault!"_

 _The Commander couldn't bear it any longer to see her suffer, so he gently helped her on her feet. She objected of course, but he pulled her in an embrace and held her in his arms._

 _Queen Anastasia was so exhausted and felt like giving up, that's why she allowed the Commander to hug her." I st.. still can see h- how the light in his eyes slowly died out, as I stabbed him..." the Queen whispered, while endless tears spilled from her beautiful eyes._

 _As loud sobs escaped her lips, Commander Sawyer held her close and whispered." You can let it all out, my Queen... do it now, cause tomorrow is a brand new day..."_

 ****End of memory****

"Ana? Ana! Wake up!"

From afar Ana heard someone calling out her name. She gasped softly and sat up straight.

"Where.. where am I?" she asked.

Christian and Kate were both looking at her with worried faces." You're at the health clinic, four blocks from your Photo Studio" he replied, while holding her hand.

"What happened to me?" she asked, and swallowed hard.

"Water... is it OK that she drinks some water?" Christian asked the nurse.

"Yes, it's fine..."

After drinking some water, Ana looked puzzled at Christian." Wha- what happened to me exactly, Christian?" she asked.

"You lost consciousness, sweetie... how are you feeling?"

She shook her head." But uhmm.. I mean why did I faint?"

Christian eyes widened at that." Ana... don't you remember? You and I were in front of the building... you told me that you knew the man with that thick Russian accent, and then he..."

Ana shook her head and whispered." No... that didn't happen... I waited for you in my office, and that's all I remember, Christian."

He gently cupped Ana's face and sighed deeply." No, sweetie... you saw him! You saw the man and then you told me that you think that you knew him..."

Ana looked at him with disbelieve in her eyes." I don't remember that... I can't remember that at all..."

And then it dawned on him what the mysterious man did next... he touched Ana on her forehead and said something to her. Oh no!

Christian cupped her face and whispered."Oh God, Ana... that asshole! What did he do to you?!"

 ** _~ On the other side of town ~_**

Ray Steele has been sitting next to the hospital bed for a while now. He had a book in hand and read aloud.

"Hello, Mr. Steele... how are you doing today?" he heard a voice say at one point.

He turned his head and saw the blonde nurse." I'm fine, Melanie... how are you?" he replied.

"Doing great, sir..." she replied and smiled.

"Good." he said.

"I think it's very kind of you to read for her... and making sure she can stay in our private health facility, sir." Ray heard the blonde nurse say." You know, she can hear you even though she's in a coma..."

He just nodded at that." Will she ever wake up, Melanie?"

The blonde nurse sighed deeply." I don't know, sir... I truly don't... she's been in a coma for 15 years now."

Ray nodded at that." Thank you, dear."

Melanie smiled at that." You're very welcome, sir... and may I add, the daisies are very lovely today..."

Ana's father gave Melanie a sad smile and replied." Yes, they are... I've been told that daisies were her favorite"

* * *

 _ **Note: Hello, you all...**_

 _ **I'm so so sorry for my absence, but my laptop crashed and then life and work were in the way.**_

 _ **If you are reading this... THANK YOU for your support and thank you for your patience.**_

And of course thank you for reading and reviewing... it means a lot to me.

YOU ALL ROCK!

So... what do you think of this chapter?

Hit me with your thoughts, you all.

Till the next one,

J


	15. The safety deposit box

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

 **This picks up right after what happened in chap 14** **  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 **The safety deposit box**

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

* * *

 _And then it dawned on him what the mysterious man did next... he touched Ana on her forehead and said something to her. Oh no!_

 _Christian cupped her face and whispered."Oh God, Ana... that asshole! What did he do to you?!"_

Approximately one and a half hour later, Ana grabbed a fresh set of clothes out the closet. While getting dressed, all she could think about was what happened to her in front of her own photo studio.

Why? Why is all of this happening? Who was that stranger with the Russian accent, the one she couldn't for the life of her remember? Christian had told Ana what the man had done, and that's the reason why she lost the memory of ever seeing him.

Crap... Ana kept pondering till her head hurt, attempting to remember. However, she didn't remember walking out her office and telling Christian that she knew the stranger with the accent.

She so wanted to cry right now, because her life had become such a huge mess!

People were after her and had sent someone to erase her memory. Why though? Why would they do such an awful thing?

"What did I know?! I _must_ be a huge thread to someone... but to whom?" Ana whispered, while feeling so powerless at the moment.

A huge chunk of her memory was gone, and that was so fucking frustrating to her!

While still feeling the pain in her right hand, Ana thought very hard, but was unable to remember why she had punched Harvey...

Christian had told Ana that he had threatened her, and that she fought back and had broken that pervert's nose... however, Ana couldn't for the life of her remember what Harvey could've done to make her so angry that she would hurt him like that...

She just could not.

Ana had just taken a warm shower, and yet it didn't make her feel better. She felt like pacing the room like a mad woman, because it all became too much for her to handle at once.

 _After the doctor of the clinic had examined Ana, and told them that physically she was doing well, she, Kate and Christian left the clinic._

 _But before leaving, the doctor had given Christian a task._

 _"Miss Steele does need a lot of rest." the doctor ordered, and locked eyes with Christian." Make sure she rests properly, Mr. Grey"_

 _Well, that's exactly what Christian did. After dropping Ana and Kate off at the apartment, he had asked Jose to look after her, because_ _Christian was called back to the Precinct._

 _There were only two people in the world, Christian trusted to keep Ana safe, and Jose was one of them._

 _Ana wished that Christian could've stayed with her, but she knew he had to continue the murder investigation of the Gym teacher..._ _that's why she didn't voice her thoughts and nodded, when Christian had asked if it was OK that he had to go..._

And now here Ana was, in Kate's apartment, while her assistant went to the store to do some grocery shopping.

"Ana? Are you doing OK?" she heard a voice say." Can I come in?"

It was Jose, checking up on her.

"Yes! I'm fine" she replied, her voice trembling heavily."And yes I'm decent, so you can come in."

"You sure?" he questioned, and slowly swung the bedroom door open. He then took a seat in a chair.

Ana nodded, and attempted to smile." I'm fine." she repeated, trying to be convincing.

However, Jose noticed that she was everything but fine, and asked." Do you wanna get some fresh air or somethin'? Grab a cup of coffee or eat a sandwich, maybe?"

She cleared her throat and nodded." Sure... I'd like to eat a sandwich."

Jose smiled, and got up from the chair." Let's go then."

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

Approximately half an hour later, Ana and Jose were at a diner and were waiting for their food.

"This is a nice place" She commented, and looked around the humble establishment." I like it here."

Jose smiled, and his eyes sparkled like stars." This is where I met my fiance for the very first time."

"Really?" Ana questioned, while a wide smile appeared on her gorgeous face." Tell me about it"

Well, she didn't have to ask him that question twice. As Jose told Ana all about the first time he met the love of his life, she listened with undivided attention.

"Order 509!" they both heard a voice say at one point.

"That's our food" Jose said enthusiastically, and got up from his seat." I'm so hungry right now"

Ana also got up, and said." I need to go to the restroom first... be right back"

He nodded, and walked over to the counter, while Ana strode towards the ladies room.

After a little while, Jose placed the food on their table, and waited for Ana. However, after waiting for fifteen minutes, he got worried.

"Where is she?" he muttered under his breath and decided to look for Ana.

He reached the ladies room, and began knocking on the door.

"Ana? You there? Are you alright?" he said, and began knocking on the door impatiently and louder." Please, speak up!"

She didn't answer him, so Jose broke down the door without hesitation.

"Ana! Where are you?" he shouted and walked inside.

However, there was no sign of her anywhere.

"Fuck!" Jose grunted, and went back to their table and asked if anyone had seen Ana.

However, nobody seemed to have seen her. After five minutes or so, Jose stormed out the diner and had grabbed his phone.

He was on his way to the parking lot, and had already dialed Christian's number, when he saw Ana standing by his car.

"Ana?!" he yelled, and scrunched his brows together." What happened, Ana?"

While walking with huge strides in her direction, Jose pressed the red button of his phone." Talk to me?"

Jose watched, as she turned around and looked up at him.

"Ana?" he questioned, and stood right in front of her.

He observed her, and noticed that she had a confused look on her face.

"You OK? What's the matter?!" he asked, very concerned about her.

Ana shook her head, while her eyes landed on the object in her open palm. She still stood there totally confused and speechless.

"Ana, what do you have there?" Jose questioned.

"It's a key" Ana finally replied." Mr. Petrov sent someone, when we were at the diner..."

"What?! Did he hurt you? And who the hell is Mr. Petrov? What does he want?!" Jose shouted, and looked frantically at their surroundings, while grabbing his gun from its holster.

 **xxx**

Meanwhile, at the bar.

After Christian had dropped Ana and Kate off at the apartment, he drove back to the Precinct and met up with Taylor. The two of them drove to the address of the bar, the one he had called earlier, after he found the phone number inside the victim's desk at the school.

And now here he was with his partner, and questioned the bartender, a woman named Annette.

Taylor showed her a picture of the victim, and she instantly recognized him.

"Yeah... I know him. He's a regular here" the bartender told Christian and Taylor.

"Did he come here alone?" Christian questioned.

Annette shook her head at that." Nope! He came in here and always brought the blonde woman with him." she explained.

When he heard that, Christian looked at Taylor and he knew exactly what Christian was thinking.

The victim's wife was not blonde, but a brunette.

After that, the murder investigation went smoothly.

Within two hours, he and Taylor found out more about the blonde woman.

Becky Forbes was the blondes name...

It turned out that she was married to a very rich and powerful business man, named Paul Forbes.

And after digging for three full hours, Taylor discovered that the husband had withdrawn a huge amount of money from his account, two weeks before.

$150,000 to be exact.

Paul Forbes knew about the affair, and hired a gunman to murder the gym teacher. Christian and Taylor immediately went to Becky and Paul Forbes' house.

They arrested Mr. Forbes and brought him to the Precinct for questioning.

There was still this question of the victim's office: Why was it trashed?

After Taylor and Christian went thoroughly through the evidence again, they found out that the blonde woman had been the one searching the office. She had filed for divorce and had taken a lot of money out of the safe in her home.

During one of her rendezvous with the gym teacher, she had hidden the money in his office.

It turned out that the victim had found the bag of money and hidden it in the bedroom of his daughter.

The wife knew nothing about the money and was shocked, when Christian and Taylor found it under the mattress. It was very hard to explain all of it to the victim's wife. Not only was her husband dead, but she had to find out that he was cheating on her too.

What a mess!

After interrogating Becky Forbes, Taylor found out that she planned on leaving the country with all the money... She even had bought a one-way ticket to Ibiza.

Mrs. Forbes confessed it all, and also mentioned that her husband was an abusive, controlling, and manipulative man... and that's why she strayed from her marriage.

After solving the murder case, Christian immediately drove back to Kate's apartment.

As he drove, his mind was consumed by Ana...

He couldn't wait to see her, and had been worried the whole time.

Was Ana OK? What about the chunk of memory she lost... Before the mysterious man had touched Ana, he was so hurt by her though.

Christian had asked about Harvey, but Ana refused to confide in him.

That really hurt, knowing Ana still didn't trust him completely.

While thinking about it, Christian felt the pain of rejection all over again...

Why? Why doesn't Ana trust him... does she trust him at all?!

And now, he probably will never know what happened between Ana and Harvey.

Why? Because that huge chunk of Ana's memory was gone!

Christian finally reached his destination, and turned off the engine of his car. He was just about to open the car door, when his phone buzzed.

As his eyes landed on the display, Christian saw that it was Jose.

"Hello"

"You have _got_ to get here right away, Grey!" Jose shouted into his ear.

As he processed the words and his colleague's tone of voice, Christian knew that there was something wrong.

His heart instantly thumped wildly against his rib cage, as he attempted to stay calm." Jose, yo Jose, calm down buddy." Christian suggested.

However, his colleague didn't listen. Instead, he shouted into the phone." Get over here right away! I'm at the photo studio with Ana... Get here now, Grey!"

Without hesitation, Christian turned on the ignition, and said." Stay right there... I'll be there ASAP!"

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Christian stormed into the photo studio. With huge strides, he walked passed Kate and knocked on Ana's office door.

"She's not in there, Grey." a voice said.

It was Jose.

When Christian looked at his colleague, he noticed that Jose was in distress.

"Hey, what's wrong? Tell me? Where's Ana?" Christian demanded.

Jose cleared his throat, and motioned him to follow." She's not reacting to Kate or me." he explained." You gotta fix it, Grey. She's over here... this way"

As Christian followed Jose, his heart was beating like crazy, his hands all sweaty, and felt as if he wanted to throw up.

"What ha... happened to her?" Christian questioned, his voice trembling.

It was then, when Jose stopped in his tracks." She's in her work place... go on, Grey"

Christian nodded, and opened the door." Ana?" he said softly.

"Where is it?!" he heard her say, while she frantically searched for something." Gotta find it now..."

As Christian reached Ana, he tried once more." Hey, sweetie"

However, she didn't even react to his voice, so focused on what she was doing. He saw how Ana kept looking for something, her hair a mess, her eyes red from crying and her work place upside down.

"Baby... can I help you with something?" he asked, and patiently waited for her to react to his voice.

But she didn't even look his way... as if she didn't hear him.

Christian heart ached, seeing her this way." Ana?"

"Where is it! Where did I hide it?"

Christian shook his head, and gently grabbed her by her hand. As his fingers collided with hers, Ana gasped softly. It was then, when she finally

locked eyes with him." Ana... sweetie?" he whispered.

She had a confused look on her face, her brows scrunched together." Christian?" Ana finally was able to say, recognition written on her pretty face.

He nodded." Yes... it's me"

At hearing that, tears began to pool in her blue eyes." You left me... I was alone"

Christian's heart contracted in his chest, as she said those words." I went to solve the murder case, Ana... and you weren't alone."

As the tears spilled from her eyes, Ana interlaced their fingers together, and she squeezed his hand so hard, as if she wanted to make sure that he was real.

"What happened in the diner, sweetie?" He questioned, and gently brushed a lock of hair from her gorgeous face.

She shook her head." I uhmm... I'm n... not sure, Christian." Ana said, while thinking hard.

"Let's take a seat" he suggested, and gently led Ana to the couch.

They both took a seat, while Ana still tried to remember what happened. It pained Christian to see her this way...

'Assholes! I bet all the erasing of her memories has made her become so confused... Fuckers!' were the words that bounced inside his skull, at that moment.

"I don't... I was walking towards the ladies roo..." she began, but was unable to continue.

Christian cupped her face gently, and looked her in the eyes." It's OK, sweetie... we have all the time in the world" he whispered, and gently caressed her cheek." Wanna go home?"

She nodded." I do... I wanna go home, but not with Kate" Ana insisted." I wanna go home with you..."

He smiled at hearing that, his heart jumping up from pure happiness.

'She chooses me' were the three words that swirled around his head, while his heart swelled gloriously.

Christian was so happy and was already getting up, but Ana tugged on his hand.

"Yes, sweetie?" he questioned, and sat back down.

As their eyes met, Ana gave him a loving look." I'm not su... sure what is going on right now with me... all I know is that you, Christian... YOU are my constant" she confessed, and then she let his hand go.

Their eyes were still locked onto each other, and then she cupped his face." Can you kiss me? I just know that it'll make me feel better." She explained." I don't know... I'm not sure how, but it's like I've known you forever"

As those words reached his ears, Christian had to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat." I know... it's weird right? It's like you and I... we're meant to find..." he began, and she finished the sentence.

"Each other..." Ana whispered.

He gently cupped her face with both hands, and slowly brought her face towards his...

They both closed their eyes, and both anticipated being kissed.

As her soft lips finally collided with Christian's, he heard how Ana sucked in a breath.

Their lips moved slowly, and Ana began tugging at him, grabbing everywhere she could reach, while whimpering softly. After a few seconds of that magnificent kiss though, Ana pulled away from him.

"Ana..." he whined, his eyes slowly fluttering open... he so wanted to keep kissing her.

"Oh God!" he heard her say.

As his eyes locked onto hers again, Christian noticed that Ana didn't look confused any longer.

She was looking at him with wide eyes, a hand over her mouth, her eyes clear as if she had just discovered something important.

"Christian... I know what happened at the diner, and I remember now what Mr. Petrov had done to me in front of the photo studio" Ana said, while tears pooled in her pretty blue eyes." Also, I remember everything that happened between Harvey and me... Oh God, I remember everything now!"

* * *

 _ **~ Two weeks later ~**_

At the moment, Ana was in her office, busy with her latest work. Kate was talking to the photographer Ana had hired 12 days ago. With all the work Ana had been handling, she desperately needed the help. While finishing up, Ana's mind brought her back in time.

 _Two weeks earlier, when she was with Jose at the diner, Ana received a key from Mr. Petrov._

 _He had sent someone to give it to Ana, and so she accepted it. However, that person had brought her hand up to Ana's forehead, after giving the key to her. The goal was for Ana to forget how the messenger looked like, but her brain wasn't able to handle more erasing. That's why she became so confused and ended up at the parking lot with the key in her open palm._

 _Petrov's plan was solid and it would've worked, if it hadn't been for Christian... The huge chunks of memory that was lost, instantly resurfaced, because of him._

 ** _"Who is Petrov exactly, Ana?" Christian had asked her._**

 _Ana explained that he was the mysterious man with the Russian accent who had erased her memory in front of the photo studio. She knew him from 15 years ago, and had sent someone to give her a key._

 ** _"What's the key for?" he had asked." And why was this Petrov person helping you now?"_**

 _Ana explained to Christian that Petrov felt guilty about erasing her memory, so that's why he gave her the key. It was a key to a safety deposit box, the contents of it of great importance. The messenger told Ana that people, very dangerous men, were after what was inside of it. Those men didn't know that Ana has the key now. And that she was the only one who could open that safety deposit box._

 _Petrov's messenger had warned Ana that she had to think very hard, before opening that box. Once she had, everything that she feared the most would unleash itself!_

 _And the very last thing the messenger told Ana was:_

 _"You will know everything... every little detail about 15 years ago. You will discover horrific things, Miss Steele... things will be revealed about that teenage girl from all those years ago... So, please be very careful. Those men are ruthless and very dangerous!"_

However, those last words, Ana had kept to herself... she didn't tell anyone about Petrov's last warning.

Not even Christian...

 ** _"What's in the box, Ana?" Christian had asked her._**

 _"I don't know exactly what's inside, Christian." Ana replied." All I know is that I have to get it... and I trust only you to accompany me on the trip. It's out of state"_

 _Well, that's all it took. Ana didn't have to explain anything else to him. Without hesitation, Christian agreed to go with her..._

 _Yes, she wanted the box. However, Ana wasn't sure though, if she should open it..._

 _'Do I really want to know what's inside? Or should I just let it be?' Ana wondered, and pondered till her head hurt._

 _She knew that Petrov was terrified of the dangerous men who were involved, but no matter what, she had to go to that bank and get the safety deposit box._

 _Yes, she had to..._

 _xxx_

 _The next day, Ana had told Kate that she was planning to go on a very important trip... it was out of state. Kate was the one in charge, when Ana was absent._

 _At hearing that though, Kate totally freaked out, because she didn't know how to be in charge of someone else._

 _But Ana assured her that she could do the job. After that, Kate had begged her multiple times not to go, but Ana told her that she had to._

 _"No discussion about it, Kate" Ana had told her assistant, so Kate didn't press the matter any further and let it go..._

Ana _did_ feel guilty though, because she had asked Christian to go on that trip with her, but she hadn't told him the whole story yet.

 _She hadn't told him yet about Harvey and what happened 15 years ago with the teenage girl... and also hadn't told him why she refused to speak to her own father._

 _After agreeing to accompany Ana, he did have a worried look on his face, because Petrov spoke about very dangerous people. However, Ana assured Christian that she really needed to get the box._

 _She also promised Christian that she was going to tell him the whole story afterwards. He seemed happy about that, and didn't ask her more questions about Petrov and the contents of the safety deposit box._

 _"I will ask the Captain for an eight-day leave, Ana" he had told her, making her smile._

S _he was so glad that he agreed and had given him a light peck on the lips._

 _When Ana pulled back, he raised an eyebrow and warned." Don't surprise me like that again, sweetie... you might regret the consequences."_

 _"Well, maybe I like the consequences" Ana had challenged Christian, and bit her bottom lip._

 _Instead of saying something back, he just looked at Ana with his sparkling gray eyes, making a shiver go through her spine._

 _As their eyes stayed locked onto one another, Ana was already regretting asking him to come along. Not because she didn't want him to, but because Christian had this power over her... Just with one look, he was able to make her knees turn into jelly._

"Ana?" she heard a voice say all of a sudden, taking her out of her heart-stopping thoughts.

It was Kate.

"You're gonna be late for your meeting, Ana!" she heard her assistant say.

"What do you mean? I still have time..." Ana remarked, her brows furrowed." What time is it?"

In response, Kate placed her right hand on her hip, and raised an eye brow." You're late, boss"

When Ana saw what time it was, she smiled and got up from her chair." Oopsy" she said, and hastily walked out her office, and shut the door behind her.

While she slid behind the wheel of her convertible, she received a text message, but didn't even bother to read it.

She was late already, and stepped on the gas pedal.

Ana had a meeting with a new client today, but the man didn't want to meet up at the photo studio. So, Kate scheduled an appointment at a restaurant. Ana liked doing business in her own office, and really hated when it had to be done elsewhere.

That's why Kate received an earful from Ana, and promised to never do it again. Normally her assistant would never stray from Ana's rules, but she was tempted by the 'potential' client's offer.

"This will be your biggest job yet, sweetie" Kate had promised Ana." If you get it, you might be able to buy a new apartment within two months."

Well, that totally convinced Ana...

So, that's why here she was driving in the direction of the restaurant to have that business meeting.

Kate had told Ana that the potential client was new in the magazine business. With a partner, he had begun this magazine called 'velocity'.

The magazine was about fast cars... Yup, she sure liked fast cars.

At a certain point Ana let out a deep breath, and pondered how she was going to convince the potential client to give her the job. Ana had brought the best photos she had ever taken and a list of popular magazines she had worked for over the years.

She was confident, but still felt a bit nervous.

"I really need this one" were the words that tumbled from her red lips, as she parked her convertible in the parking lot.

Ana was just about to step out her car, when her phone rang.

It was Kate.

She scrunched her brows together, and answered the call.

"Where are you, Ana?"

"I just arrived a few minutes ago"

"The client has been waiting ten minutes for you, Ana" Kate informed her.

"Traffic was bad..." Ana explained, and stepped out the car." But don't you worry your pretty little head, OK? At the moment I'm walking towards the restaurant"

"Fingers crossed, and good luck, Ana" she heard Kate say.

"I don't need luck, girl... I have my resume with me and also my previous work" she replied, and hung up the phone.

As Ana stepped into the restaurant, she told herself to act very professional. She asked one of the waitresses for the table that Kate had reserved for the meeting, and the blonde kindly led Ana to it.

"This way, Miss"

"Thank you so much" Ana replied with a smile on her face.

"This is your table, Miss Steele" the blonde waitress said, when they reached the table.

Ana was just about to respond, but then she noticed who was sitting at the table, almost giving her a heart attack.

Crap!

Without hesitation, Ana turned on her heels and began walking away.

However, he followed her and begged," Ana, hear me out first." she heard him say.

She instantly stopped in her tracks, and contemplated what to do next.

Crap, crap, crap... it was her ex-boyfriend... The client was her ex! Shit!

After a little while, Ana turned to face him... She didn't trust his motives, but was very curious of what he had to say to her.

"OK, fine... I'll listen." she remarked, while glaring at him." You only have five minutes, Luke... so, make 'em count"

* * *

 _ **Note: Oh my... what does her ex want? Will Ana take the job? And if so, will Christian be jealous?**_

 ** _Ooohhh... she got her memories back! Yay._**

This was the chapter, you all.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! YOU ROCK.

Hit me with your thoughts, please. ;)

 **REVIEW! REVIEW!**

Thank you, and till the next one.

xoxo,

J


	16. Like the coldest winter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

This picks up right after what happened in chap 15

* * *

 **Note: Ana and Christian still have to go to the bank, the one that is out of state, so she can find out what's inside the safety deposit box.**

 **That road trip will happen in the next chapter...**

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 **Like the coldest winter**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

 _After a little while, Ana turned to face him... She didn't trust his motives, but was very curious of what he had to say to her._

 _"OK, fine... I'll listen." she remarked, while glaring at him." You only have five minutes, Luke... so, make 'em count"_

Ana had a hand on her hip, and planned on standing, while she listened to his offer. However, Luke gave her a pleading look, and motioned her to take a seat.

"Please, Ana... take a seat?" he requested.

She huffed, and then sat across from him." I'm listening... your time starts now" Ana remarked, and tapped on the table.

"Want a cup of coffee?" he asked, and called the waitress.

"I'd like a croissant, and a cup of coffee, please." Luke told the blonde waitress, and then his eyes darted towards Ana." What are you having, Ana?"

She shook her head in response." I'm not thirsty" Ana commented, and pointed at her wrist watch." Time is ticking away..."

"OK, that's my order, Miss... thank you" Luke commented, and waited till the blonde was out of earshot.

"Ana, like I said before, this is purely business, OK? Nothing personal."

"I'm listening" Ana repeated, and raised an eyebrow.

"My business partner, Kelvin Cheung, and I need a very good photographer for our brand new magazine. I suggested others, but he had seen your work and insisted on hiring you and only you, Ana" he explained." I tried telling him that you probably didn't want to work with me, but he can be very stubborn and told me that he was willing to pay you handsomely for your services."

Luke was very convincing, and explained more about Kelvin's vision for the magazine. And at one point, Luke named the price, making her head spin.

"Seriously?" Ana questioned, and took deep breaths.

She was still flabbergasted by that number, and pondered about the business deal.

Luke noticed it, and gave her time to let it all sink in.

Ana really needed the money, and wanted her own place very much. It was fun living with Kate, but she longed for privacy and didn't want to overstay her welcome. Take the deal? Or not?

Luke did say that their meetings will be strictly professional.

At one point, Ana made a decision. She looked over at him, while he drank from his cup.

"Yes? Have you made your decision, Ana?" he asked curiously, the tone of his voice hopeful.

Ana nodded in response." Okay, I'll take your offer. But under two conditions" She pointed out, her voice very serious, while looking him straight in the eyes.

"Of course, Ana... let's hear them" Luke replied eagerly.

"1. You and I will talk only business during our meetings. 2. You and your partner will listen to my advice, because when it comes down to photos I know a lot." She summed up.

Luke responded by smiling at Ana." Deal."

They shook hands in agreement." Deal" Ana replied coolly.

After that, he insisted that she have something to eat.

She declined, but Luke was persistent." Come on... have something to eat, Ana. My treat." he said, so she ordered a pie and a cup of tea.

They had a civil lunch without any drama, Ana's ideas and the magazine the only topic of conversation. Luke stuck to his agreement till the end, talking only business.

" So, now that we have a deal, I'm ready to pay you half of the money, Ana" He said, after lunch." Shall we go to the photo studio now?"

Clients always paid Ana half before and half after completing the job.

"That's fine with me, Luke... you can drive ahead of me." she suggested, so they both got into their cars separately.

While driving to the photo studio, Ana couldn't help but think about Christian. She wondered how he will react to the fact that she was going to work for Luke in the upcoming weeks. It wasn't going to be easy, but she had to tell him as soon as she saw him later in the evening at dinner.

Will Christian understand? Because a while ago, she had convinced him that Luke was out of her life.

'I really hope he will understand that this job is strictly business' were the words that bounced inside her skull at that very moment.

 _In these past months, Christian had become very important to Ana. Honestly, she had fallen in love with him... desperately._

 _Ana couldn't seem to get his sparkling gray eyes and boyish grin out of her head. And when she did see him, she got all giddy. Also, when he innocently touched her on her shoulder or grabbed her hand, her heart rate instantly started to increase, her senses all of a sudden on overdrive. Even now that she thought of him, the insides of her stomach did their delicious flip flops..._

 _Should she just tell him that she had all these feelings for him? Kate insisted that she tell him about her feelings. She advised Ana to tell Christian as soon as possible, because she no longer was able to stand the sexual tension between them. Haha! Yes, those were Kate's words... But that was typical Kate, saying crazy stuff like that._

 _Ana just got out of a relationship three months ago, but her feelings for Christian were so strong._

 _Nothing could keep her away from him. Indeed, she still had trust issues, but Ana knew she could completely trust him with anything..._

 _When she was with Christian, Ana wasn't afraid of anything. When she was with him, she felt like she could take on the world. After all that she had been through these passed months with her parents, Luke, that stalker Hyde, and the fire, Ana might seem and act all fierce and strong._

 _However, nobody... not even Christian knew, he was the one who gave her the strength to get up in the morning and start her day. It would be so easy to hide away from the big, bad world and not fight it, but knowing that Christian was there for her, gave her the courage to face another day..._

 _Knowing that he waited for her every evening to have dinner with her, knowing that he waited patiently for her to finally trust him and tell him the whole story about her dad. Knowing that he cared about her very much, and that he'd do anything to protect her._

 _Christian was the reason she got all her memories back. To Ana, he was the most important person in her life... so, why keep postponing it?_

 _At one point, Ana had made her decision. After work, she planned on going to his apartment as usual to have dinner with him. That will be the perfect opportunity to tell him how she felt about him. Ana didn't expect him to say it back. The important thing was he had to know that she was in love with him..._

 _Tonight will be the night... Okay, but how will she say it?_

 _How about: 'Christian, I love you' Or ' I'm so in love with you, Christian'_

 _Or... while he was in the middle of a sentence, she could cut him off gently and say.' Sweetie, will you shut up already?' and then cup his face with one hand, give him a loving look and say. ' Shut up... I want to tell you something very important... I'm madly in love with you, Christian.'_

Yes... of course he will understand that she needed this particular job. Christian was a very understanding person.

With a smile on her face, Ana parked her convertible in front of her photo studio. She stepped out the car and walked inside with Luke walking behind her.

Kate looked at Ana questioningly, the moment she and Luke walked inside the building.

"Oh... it's you?" Kate asked, very surprised, when she saw Luke.

"Yes, Kate... Luke is Mr. Cheung's business partner." Ana explained." Did you know?"

Kate shook her head at hearing that." No. Of course I didn't!" She said aloud.

Ana then said." It's fine, Kate... just take care of the documents so Mr. Sawyer can sign them, and be on his way." she ordered."We'll be waiting in my office for you."

"Of course, boss... right away" Kate replied, and begin to work on the contract.

It took Kate just two seconds though...

When she heard Ana say." Let's go to my office, Luke. While you wait, I'll email the photos to your business partner.", Kate all of a sudden jumped from her chair.

"Ana, wait!" she exclaimed, making Ana instantly stop in her tracks." Don't go inside the office! Uhmmm... I have to tell you something first."

"Yes Kate? What is it?" Ana asked, and looked at her employee questioningly.

Ana noticed then that Kate looked very flustered, and it seemed like she was trying to give her a hint, but Ana didn't understand it." Kate... I'm waiting. It's getting late and Mr. Sawyer probably has obligations."

"No I don't." Luke simply said, and smiled at Ana.

"You know what Kate? I'm really tired, OK." Ana said, and turned on her heel to walk towards her office." Follow me, Luke?"

What Ana meant to say was that she had decided to take Kate's advice, and tell Christian that she was in love with him. Ana wanted to handle this business thing with Luke as soon as possible, so she could wrap things up at work and go home... to see Christian, the man that she loved.

Ana had a very romantic evening in mind... She was planning to go home first and take a bath and wear the perfect outfit. Also, she planned on doing her hair and wear her special makeup, before going to Christian. She wanted to look beautiful for him and let him know, it was all for him.

The anticipation was excruciating, and yet so wonderful, making her weak in the knees.

However, she was taken out of her thoughts by Luke's voice." If I'm not mistaken... you've changed the interior of the photo studio, right Ana?"

"Yes, Kate and Christian helped me a bit with it." Ana replied, while grabbing the door handle.

"Don't!" Ana heard Kate say, as she pushed her office door open, and was just about to ask her employee why she was acting so weird, when her eyes landed on him...

He was sitting in a chair, and smiled lovingly at Ana. Their eyes met, and it was like time stood still.

Ana's heart jumped up from pure happiness, the sight of Christian's handsome face the reason...

Gosh... she loved this man so freaking much!

Christian was just about to close the gap between him and Ana, the familiar boyish grin gracing his handsome face, when he noticed that she was with someone else.

Ana had forgotten all about Luke and walked with huge strides towards Christian." Hey, what are you doing here, sweetie?" she asked, her smile so bright it probably could've lit up the whole city.

"I could ask _HIM_ the same question." Christian countered, while throwing Luke a deadly glare, the tone of his voice so cold it would put the coldest winter to shame.

* * *

 ** _Note: Oooh boy! This was the chapter, you all._**

 ** _Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! YOU ROCK. :) :)_**

 ** _Leave me a comment, short or long?_**

 ** _Thank you, and till the next one._**

 ** _xoxo,_**

 ** _J_**


	17. I'm fine with it

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

 **This picks up right after what happened in chap 16  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 **I'm fine with it**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

 _Ana had forgotten all about Luke and walked with huge strides towards Christian." Hey, what are you doing here, sweetie?" she asked, her smile so bright it probably could've lit up the whole city._

 _"I could ask HIM the same question." Christian countered, while throwing Luke a deadly glare, the tone of his voice so cold it would put the coldest winter to shame._

Christian noticed that Ana was really happy to see him, but he was so blinded by jealousy that his mind refused to register that.

"Oh!" Ana replied, when she remembered that Luke stood behind her, and then she turned her head." Right... uhmm. Yes, I wanted to talk to you about him being in my office."

"Oh, really?" he asked, while giving Luke a deadly glare.

Ana didn't even notice the 'dark clouds' above Christian's head, because she was so ecstatic to see him. If Luke didn't stood behind her, Ana would've grabbed and kissed Christian.

"Christian, sweetie... let us talk in private?" She said, and looked at him with loving eyes, interlacing their fingers together.

Ana didn't care if Luke saw it or that it bothered him. All she cared about right now was to ask Christian his opinion on the job her ex had offered her. Ana wondered what he thought about her working for Luke... She wanted to include him in every aspect of her life. Why? Cause Christian meant a lot to Ana and his opinion was very important to her.

Christian was observing Ana's face, wondering if she was playing him. (He so couldn't help it... jealousy was a nasty thing indeed!)

Her voice sounded so sincere, and she had lovingly squeezed his hand. However, the infamous green monster called jealousy was eating at Christian right then, completely consuming him from the inside out.

"First... I'd like to know what he is doing here. "Christian said, and pointed at Luke. "What's he doing here, Ana?"

He was so angry, and unintentionally tore his hand from Ana's grip, making her heart sink into her chest.

'He's angry...' were the words that bounced inside her skull, as she watched Christian.

Ana was just about to take him aside, so she could explain why her ex was here in the photo studio, when Luke took a few steps towards Christian." Well, I'd say that is none of your business, Grey" he spat, and glared at Christian.

"It is my business! Who the fuck do you think you are!"

Ana watched in horror, as the two men argued. At one point it looked like they were going to go at each other's throats, so she came in between the two." Stop it! Just stop it now! Both of you!" She shouted, and then took Luke aside.

"I need you to go... now. Can we postpone this meeting to tomorrow? Nine O'clock." Ana ordered, while looking Sawyer straight in the eyes." Well? Or is the deal off? You tell me if it is... don't think I don't have people lined up who want to work with me, Luke."

He nodded, and threw one last glare at Christian." Fine... tomorrow it is then... I don't want to disappoint Kelvin."

Ana then raised an eye brow." We're done here, right?" She insisted.

"Yes." Luke replied.

"Good."

Luke was already walking away, but then he turned around." Ana?"

She turned her face to look at him, and asked." Yes?"

Luke noticed how Christian was following the conversation like a hawk, so he closed the gap between himself and Ana." I'm really sorry how... uhmmm... how you and I broke up, Ana. I'm truly sorry that I didn't have your back, when you needed me the most." he said, and gave her an apologetic look.

'Well, that ship has sailed.' were the words that bounced inside her skull. Ana was really done with Luke and seriously didn't care if he apologized or not.

In response, Ana looked Sawyer straight in the eyes." Well, guess you just have to live with it now, huh?" She said, the tone of her voice harsher than the hottest desert." See you tomorrow."

Yup, Ana ended that conversation like a boss...

She then turned on her heel and strode towards Christian, leaving a devastated Luke behind.

"Luke, let me walk you out." he heard Kate say.

He nodded at her, and they silently walked out the office.

Christian had followed the whole conversation, and yet he still felt this anger inside of him. Plus, the jealousy he felt when he saw Ana with her ex, made him temporarily insane! He knew himself and knew that he had to bolt or he'd say things to Ana he knew he'd regret the next day.

"Hey, sweetie" Ana said, as she reached Christian once more." I'm so sorry about Luke. I uhmm... he and his partner offered me a job... and financially, that huge job would help me and the photo studio a lot."

"Oh, is that the reason why he was here?" Christian said, and sighed deeply." Just for that reason? Nothing else?"

Ana smiled at him, and took both his hands in hers." Nothing else; I promise. Uhmm... I accepted the job, Christian. But... If you're not fine with it, I can still decline their job offer." she said, and looked lovingly at him." They haven't signed the papers yet... well?"

Ana had a genuine smile on her gorgeous face, and she even brought his right hand towards her lips and kissed it." Christian, what do you think? It's strictly professional between my clients and me." she said. "But I'd like your opinion on this. Should I not take this job? You tell me."

He knew damn well that he could trust Ana with that loser. However, Christian was at that moment so jealous that he couldn't think clearly. In some way, he felt that his ego was hurt, so he did what any jealous man would do... He lied.

"Yeah, I'm fine with it. It's OK, Ana... you could use the money, right?"

She was a bit disappointed by his answer and nodded. Ana expected him to be all possessive and say that he did not want her to work with her ex.

"Yeah," Ana replied, the disappointed look on her face very clear." you're right... I need the money."

Christian couldn't help it, but still felt extremely jealous of Luke working with Ana... he could imagine the two working alone till late at night, and God... that drove him crazy! Not even Ana's loving look could make the jealousy disappear.

"Christian?" he heard Ana say. "How about tonight? Dinner at your place, right?"

She was so excited for dinner, because her plans hadn't changed. Ana still planned on confessing her love to him.

But then Christian shook his head." I'm sorry, Ana... the guys and I... we kinda have plans for tonight. We're gonna hang out at Taylor's, and after we wanted to have a drink."

"Oh," She remarked, and looked extremely disappointed." Uhmm... what about tomorrow evening then? Dinner, just you and me?"

He shook his head though."I'm not sure... I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Christian said, and squeezed her hand lightly.

"OK" She said." Call me?"

"I will." He then kissed her on the top of her head, and walked out the door.

While driving away from the photo studio, Christian began to feel the jealousy rise again. What the hell was she doing with him?! Out of all the people in the freaking world, he had to be her client?! And why would she even accept that account?! Aaargh!

'And **more _importantly_** , would Ana have signed the papers for that job offer, if I hadn't been there?!' Christian thought, making him angrier than before.

He was so disappointed, and was very angry... not at Ana, but at himself. "Great plan, Grey!" he scolded himself.

The day he decided that he was going to confess his love to Ana, was the day he had to see Ana with her ex! Shit! Aaaarghh!

He really thought that her ex was out of her life! That's what Ana had told him! Then why has she decided to work for the guy?! Sure, she needed the money, but to work for an asshole like him?!

Fuck!

When Ana's father had slapped her, that asshole just stood there and didn't even try to defend her! The coward!

The whole drive to the Police Station, Christian kept wondering why she had to work for him! Also, he mentally slapped himself for almost confessing his love to her.

Maybe, he'd been too blinded by his love for her. Had he been naive to even think that Ana would want him?!

'I'm just a cop!' Christian thought. 'And such a big fool!'

Was he wrong though? Wasn't there something very special between Ana and him?! Christian was almost certain that there was... and yet, he felt so insecure, when it comes to Ana...

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **... At the Police Station ...**_

He arrived at work and went straight to his office. After taking a seat in his chair, he tried to calm down a bit. However, it was so hard.

Why was love so difficult?!

Christian was taken out of his thoughts though by a knock on the door. It was Taylor. He wanted to fill him in on the latest murder case they were working on.

"I'll be right out, Taylor." Christian said, and closed the door.

He had to collect himself first. As a sigh escaped his lips, Christian thought of her... Ana.

He was so desperately in love with her, but he decided right then to keep his feelings to himself. Why?

Well, Luke Sawyer was one reason! Fucking asshole...

No matter how much Christian tried to block that snob off his mind, he was unable to do so. He kept imagining that one day, Ana will come to realize that Sawyer was the better match for her... Not him.

As he pondered till his head hurt, Christian wondered how he was going to act towards Ana, when they were on the road alone together. It's just going to be her and him.

No Kate, or Taylor or Jose. Just that blue-eyed beauty with her long, dark chestnut-colored hair and him... Just the two of them.

Fuck...

They'll be on the road in a couple of days. 'Will I be able to keep it cool? Or will I fall apart?' Christian thought.

Well, he hoped he doesn't break.

"Grey! Are you done, man?! We need you." he heard Taylor shout from the other side of the office door.

"I'll be right out!" he replied, and let out a deep breath.

Christian then got up from his chair and walked out his office.

'Yup, I've really gotten myself into quiet a big mess... way to go, Christian!' were the words that swirled around his head, as he walked towards his colleagues.

.

.

.

 **... Five days later ...**

Christian and Ana have been on the road for five hours, when they decided to stop for lunch. At the moment, she was waiting for the food. In the meantime, Christian was at the service station filling the car with gas. She sighed deeply, thinking about the passed five days.

After Christian saw Luke and her in the office, he became a bit distant towards her. He was still nice to Ana, like usual, but she missed the closeness they had. In a very subtle way, he used to flirt with Ana all the time. But now Christian just acted extremely polite to her... and to be honest, she found that extremely frustrating.

Well, to be honest it drove her insane!

Five days ago, she decided to tell him how she felt about him. However, things just kept coming up; first he had drinks with the guys. The next day, he had to work very late, and then he had to go visit his mom... And so on and on.  
Ana had been trying really hard to confess her love for him, but Christian just didn't give her the chance to do so.

The evening before, Ana met Taylor at the grocery store. So, she asked him if he had fun with Christian and Jose at the bar, but he looked at her like she asked him a question in a foreign language or something.

Taylor then told Ana that they haven't done that in ages. So, Christian lied to her? He lied to avoid having dinner with her?!

'But why? He used to love having dinner with me.' Ana thought.

 _This morning, she told Kate about it._  
 _"He's jealous, girl... oh, come on! Don't you get it?!" Kate told her." For God's sake, Ana! You're working for your ex... Of course Christian's jealous... he's crazy about you. Plus, he knows your history with Luke."_

 _Ana's heart sank into her chest, as those words reached her ears. Kate was right._

 _"But Kate, we were here in my office and I immediately and directly had asked Christian if he was fine with me accepting the job offer from Luke. He told me that he was OK with it! Those were his words, Kate!"_

 _"Sweetie... he's a man." Kate pointed out." He's a proud man, and I bet that day he was so jealous when he saw you with Luke, he couldn't think clearly... believe me, he did not want you to accept that job offer, Ana... he just didn't want to say it."_

 _"Kate, honestly... that day I wanted Christian to tell me that he wasn't OK with me working for Luke." Ana told her assistant." However, he told me he was fine with it... Aarghh!"_

 _"Ana, you have to show him that you love him... And only him." Kate advised._

 _"I will." Ana promised._

And so here she was, waiting for Christian.

So what now? How can Ana fix this thing between her and Christian? She honestly had no idea. Her decision to work for Luke was a really bad idea... Ana knew that, but Christian had told her he was fine with it. Well, clearly he wasn't!

Crap!

Ana could feel how Christian was pulling away from her... Slowly, but surely.  
And God, that hurt so freaking much!

Christian had been avoiding her for five days now. He just hadn't given her the chance to confess her love. And after trying for these past 5 days and continuously hearing excuses from him, Ana finally decided not to tell him.

Well, not yet anyway... not until he decides to be open and honest to her. First, Ana wanted him to tell her straight in the face why he's been dodging her.

As a sigh escaped her red lips, Ana watched Christian from the diner.

'I love him so.' She thought, and took a sip from her tea.

 _These past five hours, he was the one driving her convertible. Ana had turned on the radio, when one of her favorite songs was playing. The artist was called: Zayn. And the song was: 'Dusk till dawn'._

 _While listening to the lyrics of the song, Ana got shivers all over her body. It was describing her life and her relationship with Christian at the moment._

 _It almost made her break down and cry in the car, but fortunately she pulled herself together. It was a good thing an upbeat song played after that song. Phew!_

And now here Ana was, watching Christian, while he walked towards the diner. She noticed right away that he had a worried and sad look on his face.

'Why? Why are you excluding me, Christian?' Ana thought, while her heart contracted in her chest.

She'd give a fortune to know what he was thinking about...

The second he reached the entrance of the diner, Ana acted like she was texting Kate. He didn't have to know that she was checking him out. Right?

Ana so couldn't help it... she was crazy in love with the guy.

She looked up at him, while he took a seat across from her. It was then, when the waitress came with the food.

"So, Christian. Everything fine with the car?" Ana asked, and finally locked eyes with him.

"Yes, the tank is full. It also needed lubricating oil. So, I also bought a bottle and used it for the car." he replied.

Ana smiled at him in response. "Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome, Ana..." he responded, and started eating his burger and fries.

Before this thing with Luke, he used to hold her gaze much longer, whenever he got the chance... Also, Christian used to look at her like she was the only person in the world that mattered to him. However, the past five days, all Christian did was avoid eye contact with Ana.

"Christian?"

He looked up from his plate and asked." Yes?"

Ana cleared her throat and licked her lips." Why have you been avoiding me the past days?"

He swallowed hard and took a quick sip from his coffee." No, I haven't... what are you talking about, Ana?" he replied, and looked at her like she was the crazy one.

"Seriously?!" Ana spat." So... you aren't acting different towards me? And you haven't been dodging my calls and texts?"

Christian let out a deep breath." I'm so sorry, OK. It's just been very hectic at work." he lied.

Ana gritted her teeth, and said." So... it has nothing to do with me working for my ex?"

He shook his head in response." What are you talking about, Ana? I told you already... I'm fine with it." he replied, but Ana so didn't believe him.

Why was he acting this way?! Why couldn't he tell her the truth? His reaction made Ana's anger rise inside her, burning in the bowels of her stomach." You're fine with it?!" she questioned, almost having the urge to put her hands on his upper arms and shake him till he explained himself." Then why are you acting so cold towards me, Christian?!"

"No, I haven't." he simply said." You're imagining things, Ana."

Aaaarghh! At that moment, Ana wanted to explode... She gritted her teeth instead, and looked him straight in the eyes." Fine!"

Ana had enough of it and so she began eating her sandwich.

And just like that, he acted like nothing happened and began to talk about his job. Ana tried to listen, but she was too pissed off to even care what he was talking about.

.

.

...

After lunch, they got into the car and drove away. Around 6 PM, they arrived at their destination and went straight to the Bed and Breakfast. Christian checked in, while Ana pulled their luggage out of the car. When he returned to the car, Ana heard him laugh aloud.

"What is so funny, Christian?" Ana asked him.

He was pointing at the amount of bags that was on the ground. She got very annoyed and said. "Like I said before, I'm a woman... I **NEED** these stuff, okay!"

Ana then grabbed one key from him and began to walk in the direction of their rooms. She _so_ wanted to clobber him!

He wasn't laughing anymore, when they reached their rooms but he still had that cute smirk plastered on his handsome face. Gosh, Ana so wanted to wipe it off!

Maybe with a kiss?

Okay, she had to keep herself together and not do things she might regret tomorrow. As a sigh escaped her lips, Ana pushed the bedroom door open and went inside.

Her room was next to Christian's. It was very neat and clean with the colors green and yellow. And it was very cozy.

After they had carried their entire luggage into their rooms, Ana and Christian agreed to freshen up first and then have dinner together. They planned on meeting at the restaurant within two hours.

While she unzipped her trolley, Ana prayed. "Please, don't let him talk about work. Please!"

The only thing Christian talked about lately was work! His work or her work... Aargh.

In Ana's opinion he did that, because he wanted to avoid talking about personal stuff. Why though?! Ana had no clue.

She desperately wanted Christian to open up to her. Why can't he just tell her what's been bothering him? Ana did try, you know. She had asked him straight up why he acted differently towards her... She needed to clear the air between them, but Christian just did not want to let her in.

Well, two can play that game...

.

.

.

 **... In the meantime ...**

Ray Steele was greeting the blonde nurse goodbye, when he heard his phone buzz inside his pocket. Ignoring it, he walked through the hall and left the Private Health Facility, where he visited the young woman who was in a coma... every month, just like clockwork.

As he reached the limo, he was startled by a tap on his shoulder." What have you been doing here, Ray?" he heard a familiar voice say, making his heart jump up from pure shock.

"Ray?! Explain yourself!"

He then turned his head and came face to face with his wife.

"Carla, I can explain." he said, and gave her a pleading look.

Tears had spilled from her eyes, as she slapped her husband very hard." I am so done with you!" She shouted, her voice trembling heavily." I've been following you these passed three months, Ray. So, this is what you've been doing, huh? Who is she?! And why are you paying her bills?!"

"Carla, please let me explain." Ray said and gently grabbed his wife's hand, but she harshly tore it from his grip.

"No! I have enough of you! It's over between you and me, Ray!" She said, and threw daggers with her eyes at him, while tears rolled down her cheek." You've been mentally abusing me for years now! And honestly, it's my own fault! I let you do those things... You even caused a wedge between Ana and me... And you were the one who made me believe that Ana imagined that teenage girl's kidnapping?! And now... here you are... That young woman inside... she's her, isn't she?! She's that teenage girl Ana talked about when she was twelve?!"

Ray was so shocked, and was unable to answer his wife's questions. He was terrified for Carla. If 'they' find out that she has discovered who Gia was, they will try to shut Carla up...

At this point, Carla was sobbing for that young woman in the hospital bed. "Ray! So it's true?! All of it?! You're not even denying this?" she asked, her voice shaky. "Harvey did grab that teenage girl, didn't he?! What happened?! Why is she in a coma now? The nurse told me about her... her name is Gia?"

At this point, tears began to pool in Ray's eyes, while he shook his head." I can't tell you, sweetie..."

Well, that did it for Carla... She had enough!

She looked him straight in the eyes, and said." You are one evil person, Ray! You let someone erase our daughter's memory, while knowing she was telling the truth all along. You let that scumbag Harvey get away with it! All these years, you've been covering up what happened!" she said, while her heart broke into tiny pieces. "I don't know you anymore... I'm so done with you, Ray! I'm fucking done with you!"

With tears in her eyes, Carla stormed towards her car. She frantically searched for her keys in her bag, and when she found it, she hastily unlocked the door.

But just as she was about to step inside, Carla felt a hand grip her roughly on her upper arm.

She wanted to scream and was already struggling to get free!

However, the person was very strong and had put a hand over her mouth! The last thing Carla saw, before she lost consciousness was an unfamiliar hand covering her nose and mouth with a white cloth.

And exactly three seconds later, it went dark before her very eyes...

* * *

 **Note: Oh boy...**

 **So, this was the chapter, you all.**

 **Thank you so much for reading my work and reviewing!**

 **YOU ROCK. :)**

 **Leave me a comment, short or long?**

 **Thank you, and till the next one.**

 **xoxo,**

 **J**


	18. Keep lying to me, Christian!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

 **Keep lying to me, Christian!**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

Christian looked at his own reflection in the mirror and let out a deep sigh. He had taken a shower, and was contemplating what to wear. He decided on a dark gray button down shirt, black trousers and black shoes.

While wearing his clothes, his mind drifted off to her… Ana.

If only she knew how hard it was for him to distance himself from her… if only.

Christian was very much in love with Ana, but he let his pride and jealousy take control over his actions towards her… oh of course he noticed how she looked at him during the road trip. However, his insecurity and jealousy had the upper hand.

There were times that he almost fell apart. Those times he desperately wanted to confess his love to Ana, and to tell her that he hated the fact that she was working for Luke.

And also, he wanted to tell Ana that she meant the world to him…

However, Christian was too blinded by his own insecurities. He kept thinking: what if she wakes up one day and realizes that she should've listened to her father and married her ex?

No. That would be too painful. So, Christian distanced himself a bit from this incredible, talented young woman to protect his own heart.

Stupid! Yes, he knew that. However, he was only protecting himself.

These past days had been so hard for Christian… The fact that he lied to Ana about not being able to have dinner with her, was truly killing him. He needed her, he needed to see and be with her. But his pride kept being in the way.

Christian knew that he could not take rejection from Ana.

'I think that would hurt more than anything else.' He thought.

Being alone with Ana on this road trip was anything but easy for him. She sat so close, her scent teasing his senses, her eyes so beautiful, and her singing in the car.

She looked so cute and endearing, while singing and dancing to those upbeat songs in her seat, like she didn't have a care in the world.

Seeing her that way, made his heart flutter inside his chest… Right then, Christian had the urge to stop the car and kiss those red rose lips of her...

But thankfully he still had control over his actions and held himself back.

It was difficult being alone with her indeed, but he masked his feelings by talking only about work. He assumed that Ana was bored and annoyed by that...

As Christian ran a comb through his hair, he heard his phone beep a few times.

It probably was Taylor, teasing him about him and Ana.

He grabbed his phone, but didn't read the text message, because he wasn't in the mood for any teasing.

After looking at his own reflection in the long mirror, he smiled satisfied. ' I look okay.'

Christian grabbed his coat, and then texted Ana if she was ready.

'Yes, I am ready.' She texted back.

He let out a deep breath, and looked one last time in the mirror. Christian wanted to make sure that he looked calm from the outside. Why? Because from the inside, he was anything but calm. He hoped that he could keep his emotions in check during dinner.

'Yup, I'm ready to talk about work again...'

.

.

.

Christian had locked the door of his room, and when he turned he noticed Ana locking her room also.

Oh God… she looked breathtaking!

It was right then, when Christian lost all reserves he had for her. The moment she turned around and their eyes met, a gorgeous smile gracing her face, it was over for him…

No pretending anymore, no acting like she didn't mean the world to him.

He closed the gap between them, and so within a heartbeat, he stood right in front of her…

"Hi… you look very handsome." Ana said, and smiled shyly.

"Hi, Ana… you look absolutely stunning in that dress." He complimented.

As he looked into Ana's blue eyes, Christian got lost in them. In those seconds, he couldn't hide what he felt for her. No. He absolutely could not.

Yup, his pride and insecurity magically evaporated into thin air…

He admired her so much and was so crazy in love with her. Everything about her was mesmerizing; her hair, the red dress she wore, her beautiful face, her intoxicating scent.

Especially her scent; that strawberry and vanilla scent of her was slowly driving Christian absolutely insane.

She was already leaning into him and just as he was about to lean in also, Ana's phone rang loudly. She grabbed it and looked at the display for a few moments. Then she looked up to Christian and pushed the red button.

She smiled at Christian." This can wait till tomorrow. Tonight I would like to have a nice dinner without being disturbed." Ana said.

Christian nodded in response. " Shall we?"

"Yes." Ana said, and so they began to walk silently towards the restaurant.

During the short walk, Christian mentally slapped himself for almost kissing Ana…

Aargh!

'Why am I so weak?' he scolded himself.

It was then, when he ordered himself to be strong and not lose control like that again. He really hoped that his heart will listen to his head during dinner.

The restaurant was very nice. The light was dimmed and there was also a bar and a piano. Ana and Christian took a seat at one of the tables and ordered the food. When the waiter walked away, someone walked to the piano and began to play on it and a beautiful lady sang a song.

She had a beautiful voice; people in the restaurant were all enjoying her talent.

Without looking at Ana, Christian said. " She's very good, isn't she?"

Ana was listening and also looking at the young woman. In response, she shook her head and whispered." No, she's not good, Christian… She's amazing."

Christian smiled at that." Yes."

The young woman sang a couple of songs and stopped after the sixth. They all applauded loudly. The woman shyly thanked everyone and said that she will sing more songs later in the evening.

Not long after, the waiter came with the food. It was surprisingly delicious! Ana and Christian were enjoying the food and talked about which route they were going to take the next day.

"I'm still tired from the day… and I bet you are too." Ana said." So, let's depart from here not too early. What do you say?"

"Good idea." Christian agreed.

They both decided to leave the Bed & Breakfast around 11 in the morning, the next day.

Ana and Christian were talking about his mom, when the young blonde woman came back to sing again. A few couples got up and began to dance. There wasn't a dance floor, but there was an open space where you could dance. The blonde beauty was almost at the end of her first song, when Christian looked at her questioningly, his beautiful gray eyes sparkling like stars.

He slowly leaned into Ana, and lightly grabbed her by the wrist. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, his voice smooth, the sound of it making her heart skip a beat.

She was stunned, unable to believe that he just asked her to dance. So, Ana clumsily nodded and made him lead her to the 'dance floor'. The moment they reached the spot, the musicians continued with the second song, the voice of the blonde beauty so beautiful, it gave Ana chills all over her body...

Song: I hear your heart cry for love,

but you won't let me make it right,

You were hurt, but I decided it that you were worth the fight,

'This is nice.' Ana thought, as she swayed to the song, her heart ramming against her rib-cage.

Song continues: In your heart, in your heart, in your heart, I can tell you can fit one more,

In your heart, in your heart, in your heart,

I don't care who was there before. I hear your heart cry for love,

then you act like there's no room,

Room for me, or anyone…

At one point, Christian brought his lips to her ear. " Do you mind if I pull you closer to me, Ana?" he whispered, his warm breath fanning over her sensitive skin, awaking that familiar, tingling sensation in the pit of her tummy.

Ana was speechless, still attempting to contain that feeling that slowly was building within her. So, she only nodded in response. He smiled, happy that Ana was willing and placed his large, calloused hand gently on her tiny waist. Christian pulled her closer to him, not leaving much space between them.

"You OK?" he whispered in her ear, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up deliciously.

"Uhuh…" was the only thing that escaped her lips, still overwhelmed by Christian's sudden actions…

Why? Ana was a bit confused, because he had been avoiding body and eye contact with her the past six hours. And now? Now he acted like he hadn't been giving her the cold shoulder… at all.

What was his deal though?!

Ana had no clue.

She gasped softly, when Christian all of a sudden placed a hand on her hip, making her feel as if he just had set her whole body ablaze with that single action.

'Act normal… act normal… act normal.' She told herself, and slowly looked up at him. As their eyes met, gray meeting blue, Ana couldn't help but feel at home…

She then boldly placed her hands on the back of his neck and they began to dance slowly. Very slowly. God damn! He looked so hot in his dark grey button down shirt. So, so hot...

Without saying a thing, Ana and Christian looked each other in the eyes. A huge lump formed in her throat, because at this very moment he was looking at her like he used to. Ana missed that so much… she missed being this close to him. The song and the lyrics contributed to this amazing feeling she had at the moment.

It was over for her… Ana got lost as she looked into those gorgeous sparkling gray eyes, the feeling too overwhelming, so Ana closed her eyes, and rested her head on his warm, muscled chest…

'God, can I stay like this forever?' were the words that bounced inside her skull, while being enveloped by Christian's body warmth and love…

But then the song ended, and the talented woman told the crowd that she was having a 30-minute break.

Christian led Ana to their table, and as they walked to it, Christian was unable to keep his emotions in check.

Fuck… 'I'm a weak man… I'm not able to resist Ana anymore…' he thought right then.

As they took a seat, Ana had a smile on her face." I missed that, Christian… I miss you…" she confessed.

He didn't know how to react and changed the subject instead.

Ana was very disappointed, because she expected him to tell her that he missed her too.

Christian then talked about Taylor's twins. The next month they will turn 5.

"I don't know what I should buy them, Ana… what do you think?" Christian asked, and locked eyes with her.

"Hmmm…" Ana replied, while biting her bottom lip, her brows scrunched together. She was in deep thought.

Christian's eyes automatically landed on her red lips, making his heart pound wildly against his rib-cage.

'She will be the end of me… keep it together, Grey!' he scolded himself.

"I have an idea." Ana said, and smiled widely at him." There's a cute toy Store near my old address, Christian. Maybe you and I can go there to look for the perfect birthday gift for the twins?"

He heard Ana, but all he could do at that moment was focus on her mouth…

At that moment he so wanted to grab her roughly, kiss her senselessly and then carry her to his room to have his way with her…

'Stop it!' he scolded himself mentally.

Christian had to do something right now. He had to distract himself from this beautiful vision with that beautiful red mouth, and those blue eyes. Without knowing it, Ana was seriously seducing him and driving Christian crazy for her.

"I have to go." He said all of a sudden.

Ana furrowed her brows, and shook her head." Wha-hat? Why?" she questioned." It's still early. We decided to leave the B & B not too early, remember?"

Christian swallowed hard, and knew that if he would stay with her much longer, he'd cave and confess his love to her.

He wanted to prevent that.

So, Christian made an excuse." I have a head ache, Ana… I'm sorry."

Ana watched him, and saw right through him. As the seconds passed, she began to glare at him.

He was lying to her AGAIN!

Here Christian goes again with his mixed signals! She was really getting fed up with this shit!

A few minutes ago, he held her in his arms like he never wanted to let her go! And she really thought that they were back to where they were…

But now?! What does he do?

He pulls away from her… AGAIN! Shutting her out, excluding her from what was going on in his head.

'Why doesn't he just tell me what's going on?!' were the words that bounced around in her head, while glaring at him.

"Fine!" Ana said, and grabbed her small bag and phone from the table." Keep lying to me, Christian. That's very healthy for our relationship… keep lying. Do you really think I don't know you well enough to see right through you? I don't know why you are lying. But tell you the truth. I have enough of it!"

Christian wanted to reply, but Ana was already walking out the restaurant with huge strides.

She was so angry. No, she was way beyond angry. She was furious!

Ana heard that Christian had followed her.

"Ana? Please, can you walk slower?" he pleaded.

However, she was too pissed to listen to him.

Ana arrived at her room and without looking at him, she unlocked the door and said." Good night, Christian. I had a wonderful time. Thank you."

She was just about to open the door, when she felt his hand on her wrist, stopping her from entering the room. Ana let out a deep sigh, and clenched her hands into fists. Without looking at him, while staring at the door, she asked." What are you doing, Christian? I thought you had a head ache."

He then asked." Ana, look at me? Please?"

She responded by looking him in the eyes." "I am looking at you. What is it? What do you want from me? Huh?" Ana remarked, her voice a pitch higher than usual." What are you still doing here? I thought you were tired or you had a head ache?"

Instead of answering her, Christian interlaced his fingers with Ana's. He had a strange look in his eyes, but didn't say a thing. She was really frustrated by his actions; she really needed some space by now. Her heart can only take this much. Here she was waiting for him to do or say a thing.

ANYTHING!

However, he just stayed quiet, their fingers still interlaced, and then he tugged her closer towards him.

"I don't know…" he whispered.

His eyes were locked onto hers, and God… Ana could feel the tension between him and her building and building.

She so wanted to yell at him, hit him… God, she even had the urge to strangle the man at that moment.

Just to get a reaction from him. Any reaction!

All of a sudden he brought his lips to Ana's ear, his warm breath fanning on the delicate skin there, making a shiver go through her whole body." Sorry. I had a great time too. Uhum, good night, Ana…" he whispered, and then he let go of her and walked inside his room, leaving Ana dazed and confused behind.

* * *

Note: Thank you so much for reading my work, and reviewing. :)

You are awesome.

So... what do you think?

Can you take a moment of your precious time to leave me a review?

Till the next one,

J


	19. Do you believe that too?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

 **Do you believe that too?**

xxx [[[ ]]] xxx

* * *

 ** _"Sorry. I had a great time too. Uhum, good night, Ana…" Christian whispered, and then he let go of her and walked inside his room, leaving Ana dazed and confused behind._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _.._**

 **… Two days later …**

 **.**

 **.**

Ana sat impatiently in the car, unable to wait for the moment she could get her hands on the safety deposit box.

Different kinds of emotions washed over her whole being; excitement, anxiousness and also a bit of fear. Not knowing what she was about to discover, made her all nervous, her heart pounding inside her chest right now.

After throwing a quick glance at her watch, she heard Christian say." Don't worry… we're right on schedule"

In response, Ana glared at him." Of course we are" she snapped at him, and then ignored him completely.

The tension between him and Ana had become thicker by the day, what happened after they danced— two evenings earlier, the cause of it.

Christian was very good at pretending, that was what Ana discovered. Cause the morning after that fiasco, he acted like nothing had happened.

So she decided to play along. 'Well two can play that game.' Ana thought, although it was very frustrating to her.

She hated the fact that he wouldn't even bring up the subject…

That evening, after she watched him walk away, Ana slammed the door behind her and went inside the room. She couldn't for the life of her understand why Christian was acting like that.

One moment he'd act warmly towards her, giving her hope, making Ana believe he wanted to be with her. But then all of a sudden, he would act all coldly towards her.

So fucking frustrating!

It bothered her immensely, all the mixed signals she was receiving from him, but there was nothing Ana could do about it!

If he would keep it up, she might not have a choice than to give up on the two of them. What's the point in trying to be with him, if he kept rejecting her over and over again?!

.

While all those thoughts ran through Ana's head, Christian sat silently in the car. Now and then, he would glance at her, but she kept her face serious.

As a sigh escaped his lips, Christian had the urge to clobber himself.

He had this bad feeling that he was about to lose Ana, but the only one to blame for it was himself.

Ana's EX, and her father were probably right all along. Ana and him never stood a chance to be together. Two nights ago during their dance, Christian never felt happier. And right then, he really wanted to tell Ana that he was in love with her and wanted a life with only her. He also wanted to kiss Ana very badly and confess to her that he couldn't live without her now that he had found her.

However, Christian's pride and insecurities kept him from doing so.

Before she decided to work with Luke Sawyer, Christian thought she and him had a chance to be together. However, when he found out that she took on that job that her ex had offered, Christian felt betrayed. To him it felt like a slap in the face.

He realized that she probably will run back to her old life, the first chance she got. Just like the job she took from her ex.

Ana and Christian came from two different worlds, there was no doubt about that. And obviously there was a connection between them, one he was unable to explain. At first he thought that was enough to overcome obstacles that came their way, but having two different back grounds did matter. It mattered a whole lot!

Plus, Ana still hadn't explained to him in details what the purpose was for this whole trip.

What was so important that she had to get it herself? He had no idea. It bothered him, not knowing, but he urged himself to be patient with her.

As those thoughts swirled around in his head, Christian noticed that she was about to make an error on the road. " Watch out, Ana!" he shouted, and gave her a disapproving look.

"I saw him!" she fired back, while throwing daggers with her eyes at him." I saw the motorcyclist, Christian. I'm not blind, you know!"

"Well, you sure take unnecessary risks" he countered.

"Do YOU wanna drive?! Huh?!" Ana snapped, feeling very annoyed at him.

"That's not what I was saying, Ana…"

"Whatever" she said through gritted teeth, making Christian shake his head.

Usually she was an excellent driver, but he noticed that Ana was obviously on edge about something. She made a couple more mistakes behind the wheel; a few little ones and one huge one!

"Ana" he warned, but she kept asking him if he wanted to drive instead.

They bickered for a while, and it was then when they heard a phone ring loudly.

It was Ana's.

He immediately reacted. "Do you have your ear piece on, Ana?"

She shook her head in response." Nope"

"If you're not wearing them, you should not answer the phone." Christian pointed out." We are on the high way, remember that"

"How can I forget? You keep reminding me, Christian" she countered, her eyes fixed on the road.

"If it's urgent, you can take the byroad left. It's only 1 kilometer ahead of us." He advised, but instead of following his instruction, Ana looked him straight in the eyes with a ' who are you to tell me what to do?' look.

She then totally ignored Christian and grabbed her phone, picked up and began to talk to the person on the other side of the line.

Christian was dumbfounded by her actions. He couldn't believe his eyes!

Well, he wasn't planning on letting it go. "You do know it's dangerous what you're doing right? You are not only endangering other people's lives, but also yours and mine." He scolded her.

In response, Ana gave him an annoyed look, and yet she went on with her phone conversation.

Christian was getting impatient with her, and had the urge to grab the phone from Ana.

"Ana, be careful" he told her, but she ignored him and went on with the phone conversation like he wasn't there at all.

At a certain point he told Ana to hang up the phone, but it wasn't till he realized that it was her ex she was talking to that Christian got jealous…

"Luke, I don't care which cars you will use… but let me be clear on one thing: I'm the one in charge of taking the photos. I'm the head photographer, not you or Mr. Cheung!" She said into the phone.

Christian was seething, but still was able to control himself. However, when she almost drove through a red light, his patience was gone!

Ana was still talking to Luke on the phone, but he decided then that it was enough!

Christian grabbed the phone from her, said into the phone that Ana was going to call back and pushed the red button.

Then he gave Ana her phone back.

If looks could kill, Christian would be dead by now.

Ana was pissed, glaring at him like she was about to strangle him. "There! You may think your life is not valuable, but I still think that it is." Christian said, his voice raised.

It was then, when Ana drove off the high way and took the byroad. She then parked the car on the side of the road, looked at Christian with venom in her eyes and began to laugh.

She wasn't having fun though.

"Why are we parked here?" Christian questioned.

In response, Ana glared at him." Really? Is that so? You care if I live or die? You care about me? Judging from all of your actions lately, it is very hard for me to know how you feel about me!"

Christian shook his head. " What are you talking about, Ana? I have no idea what you are trying to say." He lied.

Ana looked him in the eyes and asked." You don't? Really? You seriously are going to sit there and pretend that you haven't been giving me mixed signals?"

She was right…

Christian wanted to explain, but Ana was tired of waiting for him, so she continued.

"One moment you're acting warmly towards me and give me the feeling that I'm the one you want. But then in the next moment, you're acting all coldly and distant towards me, like you don't give a flying shit about me!" Ana vented, tears from anger pooling in her blue eyes." It really confuses and frustrates me. Don't you know that, Christian? Don't you? Huh? And the thing is: I don't know what I did to deserve this treatment from you!"

Christian sighed deeply, and asked." Do you want to know why I'm acting like this?"

"Yes! Tell me, I would like to know what I did wrong, Christian…"

He really was about to tell her the truth, but then her phone rang again. On the display Christian read the name.

Luke Sawyer.

Well, that changed his mind, his stubbornness taking over." Nothing! You didn't do anything wrong. And Ana, I'm sorry for the way I acted these passed days."

That. Was. It.

Ana was furious! She had noticed that he wanted to explain, but then suddenly changed his mind.

'Why? What was still holding him back to open up to me?' she wondered.

This time Ana decided not to let it slide. He apologized?! Well, fuck him.

She most definitely did not want a fucking apology!

"No! I'm so not accepting your apology, Christian Grey!" Ana insisted." You think that an apology will make it OK? I don't want it! What I do want is an explanation… right now."

However, instead of doing what she asked of him Christian sat there emotionless.

It was then, when Ana had enough.

Their destination wasn't far from where Ana had parked the car. It was only a 15 minute walk, so she decided to walk to the Bed and Breakfast and check into her room.

It was all too much. He was driving Ana nuts and she needed the fresh air. So she grabbed her coat, phone and wallet and got out of the car. It didn't look like he was planning to say a thing, so Ana walked with huge strides in the direction of the town.

As she walked away, Ana clenched her hand around her phone and began muttering to herself.

"I so don't deserve this! He's an ass! Jerk!"

Ana had the urge to cry, but she was too pissed off to do so.

"Ana! Stop" she heard him shout, but she didn't look back once.

He was following her.

It wasn't long, before he caught up with her." Ana! Wait, what the hell are you doing?" he shouted.

"Nothing!" she shouted back, and kept striding in the direction of the B&B.

"It's freezing out here. Come back and get into the car!" He pleaded." Please"

"No! What do you care! You don't care enough to explain anything! So leave me alone!" Ana countered, her voice two pitches higher than usual.

"Ana, please! Don't act like a spoiled little child…" He said, but Ana ignored him and kept walking.

He reached her again, and placed a hand on her upper arm. Ana then stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him.

"What do you want from me, Ana?" he asked." I apologized, didn't I?"

She glared at him with those baby blue eyes." I want an explanation."

He shook his head in response." Come on, let it go. Please, Ana… Let it go." He begged.

"I will not!" Ana told him plainly.

As he looked into those beautiful blue, determined eyes, Christian knew that she was NOT going to let this go.

He took a deep breath, and finally gave Ana an explanation." Your ex and father were right. We do not have a chance, you and I. We're from two different worlds, Ana. Eventually, it's not going to work between us." He said, his voice trembling slightly, like it really, really hurt him to even say those words aloud.

As soon as Ana processed those words, her heart dropped, the pain unbearable. She couldn't hold back any longer, so she shoved him hard on his chest. " Why would you even think like that, Christian?" she yelled, while tears pooled in her eyes." You do not have the right to decide that! There are two people involved; you and me. Maybe you're willing to give up on us without even trying, but not me, Christian Grey… I will fight for you! Do you hear me?"

It was then, when her tears rolled down her cheeks.

Christian's first instinct was to pull Ana in an embrace, but all of a sudden he was reminded of how cozy she looked with Luke Sawyer in her office… so he took it out on her. Again.

"You took that job your ex offered you! Why? Why, Ana?" he asked, while tears pooled in his gray eyes." Before you accepted his offer, I did believe that you and I had a chance. I was willing to move heaven and earth to be with you! But that 'dream' went out the window, the moment I found out that you would be working for your ex!"

Ana heard the tremble in his voice, and saw the pain in his eyes. It was heartbreaking to see him like that.

She really didn't know that working for Luke made Christian so insecure about their relationship. That one decision she made, had such a huge impact on what he thought of them as a couple…

Ana grabbed him by his wrist and sighed deeply. "But I asked you if you were okay with it, Christian. I asked you if you had any objection. And how was your reaction? With a straight face you said that it was FINE by you. Remember?" she said, while attempting to swallow the lump in her throat." Why wouldn't it be? That was your answer, Christian! If you were honest and had told me from the start that you weren't fine with it, I wouldn't even have questioned it. I wouldn't have accepted Luke's job offer. I would've done that for you! You know why? Because you had asked me… It was simple as that, Christian!"

In response, he tore his hand from Ana's grip." I thought that you would run to someone better than me, if you had the chance. That's why I acted distant towards you." He confessed, his voice a mere whisper." I wanted to prevent getting hurt. I couldn't take rejection from you, Ana… not after all that we've been through. It would've hurt too much"

As those words reached her ears, Ana felt her heart break. "Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Now I've heard your explanation. Thank you." She said softly, while giving him a loving look." There's just one question left to be answered, Christian… I think we still have a chance to be together. Do you believe that too?"

Ana looked up at him with hopeful eyes, her heart pounding inside her chest.

What was he going to say?

"I think it's best if we just stayed friends." Were the words that tumbled from his lips.

Ana couldn't believe her ears, and gave him a disappointing look, her tears flowing. There was nothing left to say, so she walked away from him again. This time with bigger strides.

"Ana!" she heard him shout, but she decided then that it was over before it even began...

While tears streamed down her face, Ana finally reached her destination. As the Bed and Breakfast came into view, Ana began to wipe away her tears. It hurt so much… she lost him before even having him…

"Are you a guest here?" Ana heard someone say, taking her out of her thoughts.

She nodded, and that's when the employee of the B & B escorted her inside. After checking in, Ana decided to head to her room.

Christian had reserved 2 bedrooms the day before.

"Are you alright, Miss?" the man had asked, but she promised that she was alright.

When she reached room number three, Ana unlocked the door and opened it. She was just about to step inside, when she heard someone behind her. From the way he walked, Ana knew that it was Christian.

(He probably went back to the car and drove it here.)

Without turning around, Ana said. " Your room is next to mine…"

Her voice had never sounded so cold and harsh.

From behind, Ana suddenly felt Christian grab her lightly on one of her wrists, holding her close to him. In response, Ana gasped loudly because she was startled.

Christian then brought his lips to her ears, like many times before, this time his hot breath fanning over the sensitive skin there." I was so stupid, Ana… So stupid! Now that I've got you. I cannot let you go." He whispered, his voice holding a promise." And I promise you that I will never let you go again. Nothing will tear us apart again. I'm going to fight till my last breath to be with you, Ana..."

As those words tumbled from his warm lips, Ana smiled through her hot tears, her heart jumping up from pure joy and happiness." Nothing will ever tear us apart… nothing." She agreed, turned around swiftly to face him and pressed her lips onto his.

Christian felt a shiver go through his whole body, because he knew now that Ana meant every word. Christian knew now that she had chosen him... and only him.

* * *

 **Note: Thank you so much for reading my work, and reviewing. :)**

 **You are awesome.**

 **So... what do you think?**

 **Can you take a moment of your precious time to leave me a review?**

 **Till the next one,**

 **J**


	20. In another life

**Chapter 20**

 **In another life**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

 **.**

* * *

 **As those words tumbled from his warm lips, Ana smiled through her hot tears, her heart jumping up from pure joy and happiness." Nothing will ever tear us apart… nothing." She agreed, turned around swiftly to face him and pressed her lips onto his.**

 **Christian felt a shiver go through his whole body, because he knew now that Ana meant every word. Christian knew now that she had chosen him... and only him.**

"I'm going to fight with my last breath to be with you." He declared, after he kissed her deeply and passionately like no man has ever done before.

Ana held onto him for dear life, as he nipped at her earlobe, making her oh so weak in the knees.

Christian grabbed her face lightly, leaned in and pressed his lips onto hers. When their lips collided, Ana swore she saw stars. She instinctively placed both hands around his neck and pulled him impossibly closer to her, while whimpering softly.

Ana needed him so much, and felt like her body was set ablaze by the thought of him touching all of her and the anticipation of being connected with him in the flesh.

She almost couldn't breathe. Christian's tongue delved inside of her mouth, and he showed Ana that he was the one in charge.

God, that made her lose it. Why do his lips taste so fucking good?! Better than she ever imagined! While his hands dug into the soft flesh of her waist, Ana bit his bottom lip, making him groan like a beast.

God, that was so hot!

As their kisses continued, Ana needed to feel his hair, so she tugged on it… a bit hard.

"Ouch" he said, and locked eyes with Ana.

As he watched her gorgeous face and lips swollen from their kisses, Christian felt himself getting harder.

" I want you" he whispered, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

She pulled away just a bit to lock eyes with him, her face all flushed, her cheeks pink." I need you"

Christian grabbed her gently and lifted her up, and he carried Ana to the bed, their mouths still locked, lips and tongues dueling for dominance.

God… Ana wanted all of him… his naked skin on hers, and wanted to be possessed by him.

She's never felt this way before. Not with Luke or her previous ex from college.

Christian gently placed her on the bed, and yet she clung to him like she never wanted to ever let him go. He pulled away from the kiss and pleaded." Let me go for just one second… I'd like to undress you, Ana"

As those words reached her ears, Ana felt a tingling sensation in her core… she felt herself getting wet for Christian.

She finally let him go, and looked at him, her blue eyes blown wide with love and lust." Take it all off, Christian" she said pleadingly, her hand landing on his crotch.

He obeyed and began unbuttoning his shirt. Ana admired his beautiful chest, and sat up straight. Her greedy little hands landed on his body, so his eyes fluttered shut.

Ana helped him with his belt buckle, and just as she threw it in the corner of the room, they both heard a knock on the door.

Both Ana and Christian were startled by it, and he even said." Ignore them"

She nodded, and pulled him on the bed. All of a sudden, Ana was on top, and began to explore his muscled chest.

She was busy sucking on one of his nipple, his hand landing between her thighs. The moment his fingers touched her panty covered core, Christian went wild.

She was so wet!

He flipped her and that's when he was on top now, his gray eyes filled with want.

Ana moaned, when he pulled her dress up, revealing her black lacy panties. He was just about to touch her 'there' again, when they both heard the person on the other side of the door pound loudly at it.

"Miss Steele! Open up!" they both heard a man say." You left your car unlocked, the keys still in it!"

.

.

The moment Ana and Christian arrived at the parking lot, she searched for her white designer bag. However, it was nowhere to be found!

She began to panic and rummaged through the car, her face pale as a blanket.

"Ana? Are you missing something?" Christian asked.

She was hyperventilating at one point, grabbing the bags but none of them was the white one!

"I lost it!" she whispered, her eyes teary." I can't believe this… they stole the KEY?!"

"What? Who? What are talking about, Ana?" Christian asked in a worried tone, while placing his hands on both her upper arms.

She tore away from him, and began to act hysterically." It was all for nothing… I cannot get to the safety deposit box now!"

"Ana, sweetie… tell me what's going on." He told her." If you don't explain, I cannot help you."

Ana looked at him, and knew that the time has arrived for her to confide in him. She was ready to explain it to Christian. He has the right to know all about what she witnessed, when she was young and that her father had covered up what Harvey had done.

They both took a seat in the car. Ana was just about to tell him, when they both heard their phones ring loudly.

In response, Christian groaned aloud, and Ana clenched her hands together.

'Why NOW?!' She thought, and went to grab her phone.

She was so ready to tell him everything.

"I'm sorry, Christian… it's a call from Kate."

"Go ahead" he replied." I'll answer mine also"

Well, when Ana heard why Kate called, she panicked for the second time today.

Kate had told Ana that the Police had called, asking where Ana was. They told Kate that Carla was missing!

Ana immediately hung up the phone, and began to sob aloud." We have to turn back home… now!"

Christian was already done with his call, and asked." What? What happened, Ana? What did Kate say?"

With tears in her eyes, she replied." My mom… sh-she's missing, Christian"

.

.

… **In the meantime…**

.

Ray Steele was in his mansion, and paced the living room. He was a nervous wreck at the moment. He was expecting someone who he didn't want to meet… at all.

He kept looking out the window, and checked his phone numerous times.

While Ray was busy fixing himself a drink to calm his nerves, his phone rang.

"Finally!" he muttered, and answered the call.

"Where are you? Down stairs? I am coming down right now." He said with a serious tone in his voice, then hung up.

He walked down the stairs and opened the front door.

"What do you want? I thought I told you that it would be better now to not make contact with each other." Ray said urgently, his voice low.

"Are you going to let me stand in front of your door or can I come in?" the visitor said firmly.

They both walked to the living room and took a seat on the couch.

"Do you want something to drink?" Ray asked.

"Yes, a scotch on the rocks." The visitor answered with a smirk on the face.

Ray got up and went to the bar. He poured the scotch into a glass and handed it over to his guest.

Ana's father then walked over to the bar once more, a few feet away. He didn't want to sit too close to his visitor.

After being silent for more than five minutes, the visitor looked at him angrily" Your daughter is digging into the past, Steele!" His voice was cold and harsh." She is becoming a dangerous threat to all of us. You know that the truth cannot come out, Steele. I thought that you took care of it a long time ago."

Ray clenched his hands into fists, as the man threatened him." Leave my daughter alone…" he warned, while glaring at his visitor.

The man huffed in response." If you are not going to do anything about it, we will. Mark my words. We are going to give her a little warning."

When Ray heard him say that, he got very angry! He walked towards the man and shouted.

"How dare you! You come to my house, drink from my bar and have the audacity to threaten me!" Ray's voice thundered through the living room." Who do you think I am, huh! If you touch one hair on my daughters head, I will end you ALL! Get the fuck out of my house! Right now!"

The visitor was also angry, and yet he stood up and walked away. But, before walking out the front door he said." Remember, Steele… if we go down, you go down too… Just remember that"

Ray watched the visitor walk away, and when the door closed with a click, he sank down to the floor. He was at the end of his rope. Ray held his head with both hands and sobbed. He hadn't cried in ages, but things went bad so fast that he couldn't hold it back any longer; it was all too much!

What happened to Carla and now this…

As he sobbed on the cold, hard floor, he truly wished that he had listened to Ana years ago, when she begged him to tell the truth… To go to the Police. He wished that he could go back in time and made a different choice.

But, at the time everything was on the line; he made that choice then. A choice that he regretted… A choice that was surely going to be their downfall.

.

.

… **In the meantime …**

.

.

During the drive back, Ana felt so defeated and lost. First the key was stolen and now she was informed that her mom was missing.

What could've happened to her?!

She instantly wondered if her dad had something to do with it, but was afraid to say it out loud.

She still wasn't on speaking terms with him. But, that didn't mean Kate couldn't ask him about her mom. Right?

That's when Ana asked her to call Ray.

After Kate had called him, she informed Ana that he was the one who reported her missing. She didn't return his calls, and he hadn't seen her for a while. That's when he decided to file a missing person's report.

But before doing so, he looked for her himself and called all of her friends.

No one had seen his wife.

A sigh escaped her lips, as Ana silently looked out the car window.

"We're going to find your mom, Ana" she heard Christian say" Don't you worry… I've already called my colleague from the Missing person's division, and he promised to give a hundred and ten percent into your mom's case."

A tear rolled down her cheek, as those promising words reached her ears." Thank you, Christian." She whispered, while locking eyes with him." I don't know what I did to deserve you"

Christian felt a tug at his heart, and all of a sudden was reminded by four words.

 **"May we meet again"**

Those words tore at his heart and soul, as he looked into Ana's eyes.

"Ana"

"Yes?"

"I believe that you and I have met _**before...**_ " she heard him say.

Christian had chosen those words carefully and had said them so slow, as if he was afraid to say them.

Ana was shocked by his revelation, her heart beating so hard she felt as if it was about to leap out of her chest.

"Wha- what do you mean, Christian?"

He was also holding his breath." I need to pull over now, if we're to discuss this"

Ana looked at him shocked!

Without hesitation, he pulled over to the side of the road.

Ana watched him with wide eyes. Has he also been having the memories from another life?! 'Oh, God… if so then I'm not crazy.' Were the words that swirled around in her head.

The moment he turned off the car, he grabbed her hand lovingly, and squeezed it." I've met you before, haven't I?"

"Before?" she asked dumbfounded.

"Yes"

"When, Christian?" she asked, her heart pounding mercilessly.

Christian let out a deep breath, and swallowed hard. He didn't want her to think he was crazy, but he felt that now was the perfect time to ask Ana about their 'previous life'.

She slowly brought a hand to his face, and touched his cheek." When, Christian? When did we meet?"

He gathered his courage, and whispered. "In another life"

* * *

 **Note: Thank you all for the wonderful feedback/ reviews for the previous chapter. :)**

 **What do you think of this one.**

 **Read and review?**

 **Till the next one,**

 **J**


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